Calif. police investigating whether he used teen to entice potential recruits
HEMET, Calif. - A U.S. Marine Corps recruiter in Riverside County, Calif., has been accused of pimping a 14-year-old girl. Apparently Cunningham met the girl on a social networking site when she was 13 and eventually started a real “relationship.” Police were also looking into whether he used the girl to entice possible Marine recruits.
Staff Sgt. Bryan Damone Cunningham pleaded not guilty to seven felonies, including felony pimping and kidnapping. Police in Orange, Calif., said they discovered the teenage girl in a car with Cunningham and two other men, ages 18 and 19, described as potential Marine recruits.
The girl, who has since been returned to her parents, told police that she'd met Cunningham online and had sex with all three men, authorities said. She also told police Cunningham wanted her to work as a prostitute and had tried to take her to Los Angeles County against her will.
The two potential Marine recruits face felony charges of having sex with a minor. Cunningham is being held on $1 million bail and has a court hearing June 18."It's not proven ... but when you look at it, this is a grown man, a Marine staff sergeant," said Hemet police Lt. Joe Nevarez. "Why would he be taking them out to have sex with a 14-year-old girl?"
Cunningham's attorney, Dane Levy, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
The 33-year-old Cunningham faces several felony charges, including a number related to forced/coerced sexual acts with a minor and attempted pimping. While he’s sitting in Southwest Detention Center with bail set a $1,000,000, the Marine Corps has begun proceedings to “administratively [separate] Cunningham to expedite civilian prosecution in this case.” As for his Long Beach recruiting substation, I’m thinking either there will be some morale issues there for a while or it will experience a seemingly inexplicable increase in traffic.The two “would-NOT-NOW-be-recruits” are faced with felony charges of unlawful intercourse with a minor more than three years younger and oral copulation with a person under age 18. Bail was set for $50,000 for each; Willard has posted bail and is scheduled to be arraigned June 24.
Daskalakis, Willard, and Cunningham
