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Jan-07-2011 16:42
West Point Army Officer Receives 37 Years for Raping Infant
Salem-News.comDisbarred US Army Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Forcible Sodomy with Infant - Sentenced to 37 Years in Prison.
 Former Army Major Daniel A. Woolverton |
(ARLINGTON, Va.) - A US Army lawyer and 1997 West Point graduate has pleaded guilty in Virginia court to forcible sodomy with an infant. Daniel A. Woolverton, 35, of Arlington, VA, and originally Lakeland, FL, had a second charge of raping the infant dropped in court.
His prison sentence of 37 years will be served concurrently with federal charges earlier this year where he also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 years for sexually assaulting a several month-old infant boy which he videotaped.
Woolverton, who both made and distributed child pornography, was observed by an undercover FBI agent of using peer-to-peer file sharing software in May and July of 2009. Using an alias screen name, Woolverton subsequently shared child pornography images and videos with the agent. The user profile was linked to a computer at Woolverton’s home address.
An FBI executed search warrant allowed agents to seize a camera, computers, and several memory storage devices which contained more than 30,000 images of child pornography and more than 1,000 videos.
Woolverton was also married to another US Army lawyer and had two small children. His spouse, Major Deborah Woolverton, purportedly disavows all knowledge of these events or her husband’s trove of pornography which was mostly victimized infants and toddlers. One memory card contained 16 images and three videos of an adult male engaging in sexually explicit conduct with an infant who appeared to be two to three months old.
A wristwatch on the adult male and items in the photo linked Woolverton as the adult in the photo. Records indicate that Woolverton’s assignment as a lawyer for the US Army was prosecutor/trial attorney for the US Army Legal Services in Virginia.
According to court documents, the US Army’s top lawyer, Lieutenant General Dana Chipman allegedly placed Woolverton on the fast-track promotion list to Lieutenant Colonel shortly before he was arrested in October 2009 as Chipman was potentially grooming him for General Officer.
The US Army Legal System has been criticized for other ills such as its known insular policy of appointing lawyers to investigate their personal friends when accused of wrongdoing by non-lawyers.
 Top Army lawyer, Lt. Gen. Dana Chipman |
 Army Lawyer Capt. Matthew Fitzgerald |
Moreover, the US Army is the only uniformed service or federal agency which does not require its lawyers to maintain law licenses with any state.
Army Lawyer Captain Matthew Fitzgerald was initially investigated by his former lawyer supervisor when accused of wrongful threatening behavior and violating the Army legal system’s own regulations.
After it was later determined that Fitzgerald lied multiple times as the matter was elevated to his Oregon State Bar and subsequently became public, the issue was totally ignored by Chipman’s office. While the US Army lawyers relentlessly prosecute soldiers on a regular basis for lying to investigating officers and making false statements, Captain Fitzgerald has since been promoted to Major.
(Editor's note: We wrestled with the title of this story; and we are in no way unaware of how offensive it is. Our conclusion is that it is as bad as it sounds and there is no need to mitigate or augment the sound of such a heinous act.)Articles for January 6, 2011 | Articles for January 7, 2011 | Articles for January 8, 2011
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LuLu February 15, 2011 3:19 pm (Pacific time)
This journalist needs to get a GED before attempting to write this garbage of a story.
anonymous January 25, 2011 9:28 pm (Pacific time)
What does Captain Matthew Fitzgerald have to do with this story? If it is about one child rapist as the title states, why are you trying to discredit the entire JAG Corps?
Army JAG January 20, 2011 9:43 am (Pacific time)
My last attempt didn't make it through for some reason, trying again. First of all, your assertion that the Army doesn't require its lawyers to maintain law licenses is completely false. Go take a look at Army Regulation 27-1. Because of this blatant falsehood, or research failure, I am inclined to disbelieve the remainder of the article, So, second of all, I would like to see an attributed source for all of the statements you make at the bottom of the article. I see summary statements, not backed up by sources or quotes. This reads like an editorial or an online blog, not a newspaper article.
Army JAG January 20, 2011 6:51 am (Pacific time)
"Moreover, the US Army is the only uniformed service or federal agency which does not require its lawyers to maintain law licenses with any state." The fact that you got this wrong makes me question every statement you make about LTG Chipman or the other allegations in this article. From Army Regulation 27-1 (1996): 13–2. Eligibility Applicants must have the following qualifications for appointment with concurrent order to active duty or order to active duty (without new appointment) under this program at the time of appointment or order to active duty. ... h. Admission to practice. (1) Applicants must be admitted to practice and have membership in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a Federal court. (2) Officers appointed in, or assigned or detailed to, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps will remain members in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a Federal Court.
Jay January 18, 2011 4:41 pm (Pacific time)
Really? Who 'gives a crap' please tell me. You spent more time on the article and his background than on the well being of the child. Just saying. This BEAST is an embaressment to the human race.
Editor: Jay, we had limited information, and of course the child is the most important part.
Hopethisguygetshisasshandedtohim January 18, 2011 1:44 pm (Pacific time)
First off, the reporter who wrote this WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT HIS RANK OR HIS HISTORY IN THE MILITARY. I could give a sh*t about him or his background. HOW ABOUT THE BABY! Was he ok where the hell was the mother? and VIDEOTAPPPPPED? He would have been better off with a DOG. I hope he dies the most painful horrible death while being raped by bubba and then spends an aternity in HELL. A freakin INFANT.
Editor: If we had more information we would share it. Many people 'give a crap' that a military leader acts like this.
Anonymous January 9, 2011 9:10 am (Pacific time)
If you compare same age peers who went to West Point (or any military academy) with those who did not, and then correlate their crime rates you will see that these military graduates have extremely low crime rates. Ergo, Satan no doubt can be found anywhere it seems, but Satan's influence is not significant with our fine men and women in the military officer ranks, and in the enlisted ranks it is also lower than their civilian peers.
Luke Easter January 8, 2011 10:35 am (Pacific time)
West Point! The summit of the military academy in the highest degree. Satan is alive and well and in places you never thought he'd be. Just one of the many tough times to an agent of the FBI. If it was me, they'd never find the body and if they did; a hand in Cleveland, foot in the Bronx, ear in LA, eyeball in Dallas... Damn! An infant...
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