PART TWO: U.S. Coast Guard vs. Stinziano—“Maersk Sends in the Lawyers and Swings Into Sex Crime Coverup Mode”—February 3, 2015

New York, NY

By: MLAA

In this series (USCG vs. Stinziano) MLAA explores the more than 7 year history of the most high-profile (and controversial) mariner sexual misconduct case in U.S. Coast Guard history. Part One of this series is available here.

Part 2: Maersk Swings Into Coverup Mode

On February 3, 2015, a major threat appeared on Maersk’s horizon. That morning, the M/V Maersk Idaho docked in the port of Genova, Italy. 2nd Mate J. Ryan Melogy delivered a Report to Captain Paul Willers, the master of the M/V Maersk Idaho. His Report concerned the behavior of the Idaho’s Chief Mate, a senior member of the Masters, Mates & Pilots maritime labor union named Mark Stinziano.

Melogy’s Report contained at least four separate allegations of criminal sexual assault against Stinziano that Melogy had either personally experienced or witnessed, including allegations that Stinziano had twice made abusive sexual contact with Melogy. The Report also 1) alleged that Stinziano had harassed, bullied, sexually abused and essentially tortured a USMMA Deck Cadet over a period of months, 2) sexually harassed and sexually assaulted a USMMA Engine Cadet, and 3) contained a litany of other specific complaints and allegations concerning Stinziano’s pattern of persistent and outrageous sexual misconduct aboard the vessel. 

After reading the Report, Captain Paul Willers told Melogy that he had been “shocked” by the allegations and told Melogy that he would “have to conduct an investigation.” Willers also told Melogy to expect to be contacted by Maersk (which never happened). Shortly after delivering the Report, Melogy signed off the vessel and was driven into Genova with his sea bag. 

Willers then sent 2nd Mate Melogy’s Report against Chief Mate Mark Stinziano to Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) headquarters in Norfolk, Virgina. There was a serious problem on the Maersk Idaho, docked in Italy–that was clear. But to Maersk, the problem was not that a sex predator might be serving as Chief Mate aboard one of their containerships. The problem was that that predator had been reported.

After Willers sent the Report to Maersk, it was forwarded to Patrick McCaffery, MLL’s long time Chief Legal Officer. McCaffery then called Gary English.

In the film Pulp Fiction, Harvey Keitel’s character Winston Wolf (aka "The Wolf") is a member of an L.A.-based organized crime cartel run by mob boss Marsellus Wallace. The Wolf's specialty is cleaning up “messes” or “problems” left behind by Wallace's gang members. When professional killer Vincent Vega accidentally shoots one of Wallace’s own men in his face while riding down the highway in a car, Marsellus Wallace sends in The Wolf to help Vega and his partner Jules clean up the bloody car and dispose of the body. It’s clearly not The Wolf’s first murder coverup. The Wolf calmly takes control of the situation, then executes perfectly.

    Gary English is Maersk Line, Limited’s (MLL) own in-house version of The Wolf (although not as smart, competent, or handsome). We have written before about English getting caught instructing the Captain of the M/V Maersk Memphis to intentionally violate 46 USC 10104, the Federal Shipboard Sexual Assault Allegation Reporting Law, by ordering the master of the vessel to “log” a USMMA cadet’s “Sexual Assault” allegations against a crew member as merely “Sexual Harassment” in order to avoid scrutiny from the U.S. Coast Guard. 

English is an in-house attorney for MLL who carries the vague and innocuous-sounding title of “Associate General Counsel, Maritime Law.” But Gary English’s real specialty is serving as Maersk’s sex crime and sexual misconduct coverup-lawyer. 

If there’s a rape on a Maersk ship that needs to be covered up, if there’s reported sexual abuse occurring on one of their vessels, or if there are allegations of serious sexual harassment–Gary English will very quickly be involved. Gary English’s job is simple: Protect Maersk’s Financial and Reputational Interests at All Costs. 

It is not Gary English’s job to protect mariners, victims or future victims. When someone is victimized on a Maersk vessel, that person immediately becomes an enemy of Maersk. The victim represents a financial and reputational threat, and Gary English’s job is to neutralize that threat.

Beginning on February 3, 2015, Maersk lawyer Gary English directed the “investigation” and brazen coverup of Mark Stinziano’s criminal sexual misconduct against 3 crew members—including 2 USMMA cadets. In conducting the coverup, English worked hand-in-hand with Captain Paul Willers, who had every professional incentive to do whatever English told him to do.

After extensive investigation into this case over the course of years, MLAA has never found any proof that Maersk ever contacted the USMMA in the course of their investigation, although it is possible that one or more USMMA Academy Training Representatives were notified and participated in the coverup. MLAA will be pursuing this question in a comprehensive Freedom of Information Act lawsuit the organization is preparing against the U.S. Maritime Administration.

What is known for sure is that once Gary English’s shipboard investigation kicked off, both USMMA cadets were forced to remain aboard the vessel with the man accused of sexually harassing and sexually assaulting, as well as onboard with the predators friends—the other 3 senior officers and many of the other crew members—for more than a month.

What is also known is that after more than a month-long “investigation” in which no one ever visited the vessel to conduct independent interviews of the victims, Gary English and Maersk reached the conclusion that Stinziano had not engaged in any sexual misconduct aboard the Maersk Idaho. Maersk also concluded that 2nd Mate Ryan Melogy’s damning Report against Stinziano was essentially a total fabrication.

As a result of Maersk’s “investigation,” Stinziano was not punished in any way, and remained in his job as Chief Mate of the Maersk Idaho until many of Melogy’s allegations against Stinziano were finally found PROVEN by a U.S. Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge in an opinion released on April 20, 2022—more than 7 years after Melogy delivered his report to Maersk.

In Part 3 of this series, we will explore the tactics used by Maersk to coverup Stinziano’s sex crimes and his official misconduct, and we will explore the testimony of the Deck Cadet who testified against Stinziano at his trial in Baltimore during June of 2021—more than 6 years after he had signed off the Maersk Idaho and escaped from Mark Stinziano’s terror.