The U.S. Army is expected to decide by mid-September whether to a try a retired major general for allegedly raping a minor multiple times in the 1980s.
Service officials held an Article 32 hearing Saturday at Fort Meade in Maryland to review evidence against retired Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene.
Grazioplene, who retired in 2005, is charged with a "violation of Article 120 of Uniform Code of Military Justice with six specifications of rape of a minor on multiple occasions between 1983 and 1989," according to Military District of Washington officials.
Charging documents obtained by The Washington Post, under the Freedom of Information Act, show that rapes occurred at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Amberg, Germany; Bindlach, Germany; and Woodbridge, Va., the newspaper reported.
Grazioplene's attorney, Thomas Pavlinic, told The Associated Press that his client is contesting the charges but declined to comment about the details of the case.
Col. Lanny Acosta Jr. is the hearing officer who will recommend whether to refer charges for a potential court-martial. Pavlinic said he anticipates a decision will be made within two weeks, the AP reported.
Grazioplene, who lives in Gainesville, Va., joined the Army in March 1972 as an armor officer. He was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., a Ranger and was decorated for his service.
As a retiree, in accordance with UMCJ, Article 2, Grazioplene is subject to the UCMJ for the alleged offense. There is no current plan for the U.S. Army to recall him to active-duty during the course of the legal proceedings, according to Army officials.
If convicted of all charges, Grazioplene could face a maximum punishment of confinement for life with the possibility of parole, Army officials maintain.
-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
![](http://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-11/1time%20cher%20uss%20missouri%201200.jpg?itok=qi9yyMAM "Cher's more formal look in her 1989 music video, "If I Could Turn Back Time," filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri. (Criteron Studios)")
