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Print-style illustration of Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck beside a Military Sealift Command ship.

Military Sealift Command

Captain Accused of Rape Aboard USNS Carson City Gives Up License

In written submissions to Military Sealift Command, Captain Yamil Sanchez Padilla admitted to sexual intercourse with 1st Assistant Engineer Elsie Dominguez on the night she says he raped her—but the former Captain said...

MLAA StaffMAR 30, 2026
MARITIME ACCOUNTABILITY

Maritime Legal Aid & Advocacy (MLAA).

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Giving a voice to victims of harassment and abuse at sea.

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Holding the maritime industry accountable through investigative journalism, federal FOIA litigation, and resources for mariners harmed at sea.

FOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUESFOUNDED 2020 · 501(C)(3) · MIDSHIPMAN-X · SAFER SEAS ACT · OPERATION FOULED ANCHOR · THE FIGHT CONTINUES

We Built a Searchable Public Docket for the Coast Guard’s Merchant Mariner Court.

The MLAA Administrative Law Judge Docket is the first public-facing tool to track disciplinary actions, license suspensions, and civil penalties within the maritime sector.

Browse full docket →

Recent Investigations

WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY

First-hand accounts of misconduct and accountability failures in the maritime industry.

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy · Sept 27, 2021

I Was a 19-Year-Old Virgin When I Was Raped by a 60+ Year-Old 1st Engineer Aboard a Maersk Ship During Sea Year.

By Midshipman-X

In our class of approximately 50 women, I know of at least 5 women who were forcibly raped during Sea Year. And I am one of them.
Read the full account →
U.S. Coast Guard · Jun 9, 2024

The Coast Guard Used Me to Lie to Victims of Sexual Assault at the Coast Guard Academy as Part of Their Operation Fouled Anchor Cover-up. I Can No Longer Be Part of This System.

By Shannon Norenberg, former U.S. Coast Guard Academy Sexual Assault Response Coordinator

We weren't sent out there to help these people. We were sent out there as part of an elaborate cover-up of Operation Fouled Anchor designed to hide the existence of the investigation from Congress and the public.
Read the full account →
U.S. Navy · Sept 2, 2024

I Am a Surface Warfare Officer for the United States Navy and I'm Blowing the Whistle on Our Toxic Work Culture.

By a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer

The biggest myth in the Navy SWO community is that keeping silent while your chain of command terrorizes you makes you tough and resilient — that by enduring it, you're a true SWO. No, it makes you a fucking coward.
Read the full account →

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