A FORMER US logistics chief convicted of sex crimes in Bahrain is now facing new sexual assault charges in his country.
Fifth Fleet’s former chief logistics specialist Calvin Halfacre was among other sailors stationed in Bahrain who were investigated and later charged for housing Thai prostitutes in an apartment in Juffair, offering them to customers and making a profit.
Specifically, Mr Halfacre was accused by three Thai women of performing unnatural sex against their will in 2017.
The 42-year-old was sentenced in March last year to “dishonourable discharge and confinement for 30 months,” according to court records seen by the GDN.
However, according to a latest report published by The Navy Times, Mr Halfacre has now been charged with raping a woman in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on February 3, 2019.
“At the time of the alleged rape, (Mr) Halfacre had just signed a plea deal in January 2019 and was awaiting his day in court in March 2019 on a previous sex crime dating back to when he was assigned to Bahrain,” stated the report.
“The new rape charges against Halfacre accuse him of placing (the woman) in fear that she would be subjected to grievous bodily harm.”
He now faces additional sexual assault charges, while a trial date is yet to be set.
“Prosecutors also charged the Illinois native with robbery for allegedly taking a purse from the woman that contained about $300 in cash,” the report said.
A photograph of Mr Halfcare from the NCIS while he was stationed in Bahrain in 2017
In September, the Navy chief’s lawyer filed an appeal seeking to overturn his sentence in connection with the sex crimes in Bahrain.
The GDN previously reported about the investigations into more than a dozen sailors, and charges were filed against at least nine of them for sex trafficking and running a prostitute ring in Bahrain in 2017 and 2018.
This included five Navy chiefs who faced allegations of trafficking or attempted trafficking of Thai prostitutes into Bahrain and housing them in their apartments in Juffair where they operated the racket.
Navy prosecutors identified a key Naval Criminal Investigative Service informant since 2014, who also worked as a prostitute, Lin Raiwest from Thailand, who is designated under the code name MEBJ-1580 in court records.
She allegedly ran the racket with the help of US sailors in Bahrain and flew in girls from Thailand as part of the operation.
The series of sex crime investigations since 2017 prompted three US Senators in August to urge the US Navy to work with Bahraini authorities to combat human trafficking.
Senator Richard Blumenthal and his two colleagues, Tammy Baldwin and Kirsten Gillibrand, sent a letter in August to Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite demanding answers regarding the actions of sailors assigned under the Fifth Fleet, Juffair.
They expressed concern over reports that sailors housed trafficked individuals in taxpayer-funded apartments, personally profited from the sex trade, and even confiscated individuals’ passports to restrict their movement.
The US Senators called for a roadmap to be tailored to Navy operation and to engage with host-nation’s government agencies to ensure mutual understanding.
There are more than 8,500 military members and their dependents in Bahrain, and their presence directly contributed to more than $1.2 billion to Bahrain’s economy in 2016.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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