Earlier this week Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. pled guilty to all six misdemeanor-level charges, including willfully defying a superior commissioned officer, dereliction in the performance of his job as well as his conduct being determined as unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
But what the media doesn’t want you to know is before this incident Scheller has a near-perfect record stretching back nearly 2 decades, something the judge took into consideration when delivering his sentencing.
The U.S. Marine who posted videos on social media criticizing military leadership and the Biden administration’s withdrawal of military assets from Afghanistan was issued a letter of reprimand and a forfeiture of $5,000 worth of pay for one month, after pleading guilty to all charges during his court-martial hearing this week.
“Did anyone raise their hand and say, ‘We completely messed this up?'” Scheller had asked in a video. “I’m not saying we can take back what has been done. All I asked for was accountability, for people to comment on what I said and to say, ‘Yes. Mistakes were made.’ And had they done that I would’ve gone back into rank and file, submitted, and accomplished what I wanted.”
The judge, on Friday, said he would have given a two-month forfeiture of pay, had it not been for the nine days Scheller spent in pre-trial confinement. Scheller was freed from the brig last week where he was being held for violating an agreement to stop posting criticism on social media.
The judge said he does not condone Scheller’s offenses, but noted his 17 year USMC career, saying that prior to his social media incident, he was an officer with an outstanding record – a record, he said, he weighed heavily.
At the end of the day, Scheller being required to produce a letter of reprimand and charged a fine of $5,000 is a slap on the wrist compared to the typical penalty of 66% of a month’s salary for a year and a reprimand letter.
