The United States Navy claims that a sailor purposefully staged a racial hoax against himself, after claiming that his aircraft carrier bunk had been vandalized with racial slurs, reports Navy Times.
Marquie Little, an African-American man, posted various photos to Facebook under a pseudonym, showing what appeared to be his personal space trashed with garbage and scrawling of the n-word.
“I proudly serve the Navy and this is what I’m receiving in return,” he wrote in the post.
“It’s not my first time being called a word such as that,” the aviation boatswain’s mate airman said in a phone interview later that month. “It puzzled me as to who would do it and why they would do it.”
However, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service says Little is lying. On Friday, Cmdr. Dave Hecht told the media that his group had conducted a “thorough investigation.”
“A NCIS-supported command investigation following claims of racially-motivated vandalism aboard the (carrier) has determined that the alleged victim staged the incident himself,” Hecht said in an email.
“The United States Navy does not tolerate racial discrimination of any form and the well-being of our Sailors is our top priority,” Hecht added.
But Little says the Navy has it wrong, and that he is receiving an improper judgement.
“And now I’m to be here looking like a bad guy for attention,” Little wrote in a text message. “I have nothing to gain from doing such an incident but I have everything to lose.”
A similar hoax occurred in the United States Air Force earlier this year. Five African-American Air Force cadets claimed that racist epithets had been written on several dorm messaging boards. Upon, investigation, one of the five admitted he had written the slurs.
Little will not be charged with a crime but will undergo internal discipline and counseling sessions.