Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Faces Life in Prison for Desertion

26 Mar, 2015

U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a former Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan, was formally charged on Wednesday with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the most serious count, the Army said.

Bergdahl’s attorney, Eugene Fidell of Yale Law School, said the Army had scheduled an Article 32 investigation hearing on April 22 to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to proceed with a court-martial.

Bergdahl’s case has been under review by General Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command, who was asked to look at the circumstance surrounding Bergdahl’s capture.

As a result of the review, Bergdahl was charged with desertion with intent to shirk important or hazardous duty and misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place, said an Army spokesman at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where Milley is based.

The desertion charge carries a maximum prison term of five years, while the misbehavior count carries a maximum term of life in prison, he said. The charges also carry a number of other potential punishments, including a dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank to private and forfeiture of all pay.

After a period of rehabilitation following his release, Bergdahl was reassigned to military duties. He currently has an administrative role in an office at Fort Sam Houston.

A spokeswoman at the base said it would be up to the lawyers to determine what would happen to Bergdahl now that he had been charged.

Reuters

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