2 Navy submarine officers charged in fraud probe

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Two of the Navy's first female submarine officers have been charged with financial misconduct, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Navy Cmdr. Monica Rousselow, a spokeswoman for the submarine force, said the alleged fraud took place before the two Supply Corps officers reported to their vessels.

The two officers, whose names were not released, are accused of filing fraudulent travel claims involving about $4,500 each, according to Rousselow, who is based in Norfolk, Va. The officers are charged with fraud and conduct unbecoming of a Naval officer under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. One of them also is charged with falsifying an official statement.

The Navy announced in March that a total of three officers had been reassigned to a submarine group at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia as the Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated fraud allegations. One of the three officers was cleared of wrongdoing, Rousselow said.

The officers are among the first group of women assigned to U.S. submarines by the Navy, which reversed a ban on women serving aboard subs in 2010. They completed training at sites including the submarine school in Groton, Conn., before joining the undersea force.

"The integration of females on submarines continues to progress nicely," Rousselow said.

Rousselow said she could not identify the submarines to which the officers had been assigned or provide further details about the alleged fraud.

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