The former command chief of Air Force Materiel Command pleaded guilty Monday to 13 counts of wrongdoing, including sexual misconduct for extramarital affairs he had with female subordinates. CMSgt. William Gurney told a military judge that he got “caught up in a cycle of sin,” during his court martial proceedings that began Monday at Scott AFB, Ill., reports the Associated Press. Gurney, a 27-year Air Force veteran, pleaded guilty to seven counts of dereliction of duty for inappropriate advances toward enlisted women and four counts of adultery. He also admitted to “using his military cell phone and computer to exchange explicit e-mails and texts, and to having had sex with his wife at least twice while a female enlistee watched,” according to AP. He pleaded not guilty to four additional adultery charges. He faces up to 14.5 years in prison, among the possible punishment.
President Donald Trump on July 4 signed into law $150 billion in defense funds as part of the tax-and-spending package known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” after congressional Republicans approved the legislation in narrow, drawn-out votes earlier this week.
