A former cargo ship captain has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually assaulting a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet during a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, bringing an historic end to a case that exposed vulnerabilities in the maritime industry’s handling of sexual assault allegations.
John Merrone pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to all five counts of an indictment charging him with aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact. The charges relate to events that occurred on September 9, 2019, aboard the M/V Liberty Glory while the vessel traveled from Bahrain to Corpus Christi, Texas.
According to charging documents, Merrone drugged a female cadet to the point of unconsciousness and then raped her. Prosecutors alleged he acted “with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, and arouse and gratify the sexual desire of any person.” The victim was a student at the Merchant Marine Academy’s campus in Kings Point on Long Island.
The guilty plea came just as the case was set to proceed to trial, marking the first federal prosecution for sexual assault aboard a U.S. commercial vessel in over 40 years, according to attorneys handling the matter.
The case has broader implications for maritime safety and industry accountability. Merrone had been previously convicted of false imprisonment and battery in Florida in 2011 after a woman hospitalized with bruises and injuries accused him of rape. Though that conviction was later overturned on appeal, Merrone continued working in the commercial shipping industry. The Merchant Marine Academy continued to send cadets to serve aboard vessels where he held command positions.
The incident first came to public attention in October 2022 when CNN reported allegations that Merrone had drugged two Merchant Marine Academy cadets at sea and raped one of them. Following the media coverage, the American Maritime Officers union expelled him, citing multiple credible allegations and crew safety concerns. He later surrendered his Merchant Mariner Credential to the Coast Guard and accepted a lifetime ban from the U.S. maritime industry.
An initial Coast Guard investigation conducted in 2021 had ended without prosecution after the Department of Justice declined to pursue criminal charges. The case was later revived with federal prosecutors filing criminal charges in June 2025 in the Eastern District of New York.
The guilty plea resolves a case that has highlighted systemic issues within the maritime industry and the oversight of vessels carrying academy cadets. Attorneys representing the victim noted that the prosecution represented a watershed moment for maritime safety and accountability. Justice4Mariners, representing multiple women with allegations against Merrone, achieved confidential pre-suit settlements for several victims before the criminal proceedings.
The case gained prominence as part of broader scrutiny of sexual assault and harassment at the Merchant Marine Academy. In 2021, an anonymous blog post from a female cadet who called herself Midshipman X exposed widespread allegations of sexual abuse during Sea Year, the mandatory at-sea training program required of all academy students. That cadet later revealed her identity as Hope Hicks, and her account sparked congressional attention and demands for reform within the maritime industry and the academy.
The Merchant Marine Academy’s Sea Year program was temporarily suspended in November 2021 following Hicks’ revelations but was reinstated about a month later with new policies and procedures designed to protect cadets against sexual assault and harassment. However, advocates have argued that systemic problems persist, with allegations that the U.S. Maritime Administration had engaged in decades-long efforts to cover up sexual abuse of cadets to protect the Sea Year program’s reputation and the financial interests of commercial shipping companies.
The guilty plea represents accountability in a case that exposed how a mariner with documented prior criminal history could continue commanding U.S.-flagged vessels carrying academy cadets for years before facing federal prosecution. Legal experts said the case demonstrates the importance of information sharing between government agencies and the maritime industry regarding personnel with histories of misconduct.
Sentencing is scheduled for a later date. Under federal law, Merrone faces up to life imprisonment on the aggravated sexual abuse charge. The specific sentence will be determined by the judge during the sentencing hearing, where victim impact statements and other factors will be considered.