William H. Steele
Encyclopedia
Former Lieutenant Colonel
William H. Steele (born circa
1955) is a former U.S. Army Reservist
from Prince George, Virginia
. He was charged with aiding the enemy and other breaches of military law, mostly in connection with his role as commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment and Camp Cropper
, a holding facility for security detainees in Iraq
. He was acquitted of aiding the enemy, but sentenced to 2 years confinement on other charges and was dismissed from the military. He was confined at the United States Disciplinary Barracks
at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Steele was only the second officer to be charged with aiding the enemy during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the other being Captain James Yee
.
and a 1973 graduate of Beall High School. He is a former police officer
from Anne Arundel County, Maryland
and a former Hernando County, Florida
sheriff
’s deputy.
for his verbal and physical abuse of his 11-year-old stepson. From court records, "[The boy] was punched. He was thrown across the room for eating food without asking." Steele was also charged with resisting an officer with violence, another felony. Both charges were dropped when he agreed to give up custody.
In 2003, Steele was charged with two misdemeanor
offenses during a dispute with a contractor. The contractor, who was born in Lebanon
, accused Steele of saying: "You better get out of here or I'll blow your head off," and said that Steele "accused him of working for al-Qaeda
". Steele was convicted on one count of threatening bodily harm, but upon appeal the charges were dismissed after Steele completed anger management
therapy.
and served as a senior patrol officer with 89th Military Police Brigade. Camp Cropper is known to have held former Baath Party
members, Al-Qaeda operatives, and members of the Iraqi insurgency. On April 26, 2007 it was announced that Steele had been held in military detention since March, and that he had been charged with aiding the enemy and other violations of military law. After that he was held in pretrial confinement in Kuwait
. Testimony at his Article 32 hearing
indicated that the charge of aiding the enemy was based on the allegation that Steele had allowed three juvenile detainees to use his cellphone to call their parents in violation of the prison's requirement that all prisoner phone calls be monitored. (Steele had been previously reprimanded by Brigadier General Kevin McBride, commander of the 43d MP Brigade
, for "intimidating tower guards with a service pistol
." He was later awarded the Bronze Star Medal
by General McBride at the end of his tour of duty.)
On June 10, 2007, the military dropped charges of fraternization with the daughter of a prisoner, and failure to oversee expenditure of government funds—allegedly used to purchase of hair dye and Cuban cigars for Saddam Hussein
when he was held at Camp Cropper. At that time, Major General
James E. Simmons referred the remaining charges for trial by general court-martial
. Steele was ordered confined pending trial. At a pre-trial hearing held at Camp Liberty, Iraq, on October 7, Steele pleaded guilty to two charges relating to improper storage of classified materials and to one of possession of pornographic videos.
Steele's trial before a military judge on charges of "aiding the enemy, possessing classified information, disobeying orders and conduct unbecoming an officer" began in Baghdad on October 15.
On October 19, 2007, a military judge found Steele not guilty on the charge of aiding the enemy, but guilty of "unauthorized possession of classified documents, behavior unbecoming an officer for an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter and failing to obey an order". Steele was sentenced to 2 years confinement (of a possible maximum 6 year sentence for the charges to which he had previously plead guilty, as well as an additional 10 years for the charges for which he was convicted), credited with time served, loss of his military retirement, forfeiture of pay and allowances, and dismissal from the military.
Specification 2: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 1 December 2005 and 11 December 2006, knowingly and wrongfully provide special privileges to and maintain an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter, wherein such acts constituted conduct unbecoming an officer in the armed forces. (Convicted of charge on October 19, 2007)
Specification 2: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 1 September 2006 and 21 February 2007, violate a lawful general regulation, to wit: paragraph 4-32, Army Regulation 380-5, dated 29 September 2000, by improperly marking classified information. (Steele pleaded guilty to this specification on October 7, 2007.)
Specification 3: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, having knowledge of a lawful order issued by the 89th Military Police Brigade Deputy Commander, did, at or near Camp Victory, Iraq, on or about 22 February 2007, failure to obey the same. (Convicted of charge on October 19, 2007)
Specification 4: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 18 February 2007 and 21 February 2007, violate a lawful general order, to wit: paragraph 2e, Multi-National Corps-Iraq General Order Number 1, dated 16 December 2006, by wrongfully and knowingly possessing pornographic video files. (Steele pleaded guilty to this specification on October 7, 2007.)
Specification 5: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, between on or about 1 October 2005 and 31 October 2006, was derelict in the performance of his duties in that he willfully failed to fulfill his obligations as an approving authority in the expenditure of Field Ordering Officer funds. (This specification was not recommended for trial by court-martial and was dismissed on June 10, 2007.)
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
William H. Steele (born circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1955) is a former U.S. Army Reservist
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
from Prince George, Virginia
Prince George, Virginia
Prince George is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Prince George County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 2,066. It is in the metro area of Richmond, Virginia. The elevation is at 131 feet.-References:...
. He was charged with aiding the enemy and other breaches of military law, mostly in connection with his role as commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment and Camp Cropper
Camp Cropper
Camp Cropper is a holding facility for security detainees operated by the United States Army near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The facility was initially operated as a high-value detention site , but has since been expanded increasing its capacity from 163 to 2,000 detainees...
, a holding facility for security detainees in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He was acquitted of aiding the enemy, but sentenced to 2 years confinement on other charges and was dismissed from the military. He was confined at the United States Disciplinary Barracks
United States Disciplinary Barracks
The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas....
at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Steele was only the second officer to be charged with aiding the enemy during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the other being Captain James Yee
James Yee
James J. Yee is an American former United States Army chaplain with the rank of captain...
.
Background
The below information is incorrect. Do not use the below information a fact. Corrections are in progress. Steele is originally from Frostburg, MarylandFrostburg, Maryland
Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States located at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,873 at the 2000 census...
and a 1973 graduate of Beall High School. He is a former police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
from Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
and a former Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 130,802. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 165,409 . Its county seat is Brooksville, Florida. The majority of the county's population is in Spring Hill, west portion of Hernando...
sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
’s deputy.
Civilian legal incidents
After Steele was charged with aiding the enemy, the press reported on two earlier incidents in which Steele had been involved with the courts. In November 1993, he was charged with felony aggravated child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
for his verbal and physical abuse of his 11-year-old stepson. From court records, "[The boy] was punched. He was thrown across the room for eating food without asking." Steele was also charged with resisting an officer with violence, another felony. Both charges were dropped when he agreed to give up custody.
In 2003, Steele was charged with two misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
offenses during a dispute with a contractor. The contractor, who was born in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, accused Steele of saying: "You better get out of here or I'll blow your head off," and said that Steele "accused him of working for al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
". Steele was convicted on one count of threatening bodily harm, but upon appeal the charges were dismissed after Steele completed anger management
Anger management
The term anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger & aggression can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state...
therapy.
Camp Cropper
Steele served as commandant of Camp Cropper from October 2005 to the end of October 2006, when he transferred to Camp VictoryCamp Victory
Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport . The Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters for the Multi-National Corps - Iraq , is located on Camp Victory...
and served as a senior patrol officer with 89th Military Police Brigade. Camp Cropper is known to have held former Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
members, Al-Qaeda operatives, and members of the Iraqi insurgency. On April 26, 2007 it was announced that Steele had been held in military detention since March, and that he had been charged with aiding the enemy and other violations of military law. After that he was held in pretrial confinement in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. Testimony at his Article 32 hearing
Article 32 hearing
An Article 32 hearing is a proceeding under the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice, similar to that of a preliminary hearing in civilian law. Its name is derived from UCMJ section VII Article An Article 32 hearing is a proceeding under the United States Uniform Code of Military...
indicated that the charge of aiding the enemy was based on the allegation that Steele had allowed three juvenile detainees to use his cellphone to call their parents in violation of the prison's requirement that all prisoner phone calls be monitored. (Steele had been previously reprimanded by Brigadier General Kevin McBride, commander of the 43d MP Brigade
43rd Military Police Brigade (United States)
The 43rd Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army.-Organization:Within the Rhode Island Army National Guard, the 43D Military Police Brigade exercises command and control over the 118th Military Police Battalion, and its three separate Military Police companies...
, for "intimidating tower guards with a service pistol
M9 Pistol
The Beretta M9, formally Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is a 9×19mm Parabellum pistol of the United States military adopted in 1985. It is essentially a military specification Beretta 92F, later the 92FS....
." He was later awarded the Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
by General McBride at the end of his tour of duty.)
On June 10, 2007, the military dropped charges of fraternization with the daughter of a prisoner, and failure to oversee expenditure of government funds—allegedly used to purchase of hair dye and Cuban cigars for Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
when he was held at Camp Cropper. At that time, Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
James E. Simmons referred the remaining charges for trial by general court-martial
Courts-martial in the United States
Courts-martial in the United States are criminal trials conducted by the U.S. military. Most commonly, courts-martial are convened to try members of the U.S. military for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice , which is the U.S. military's criminal code...
. Steele was ordered confined pending trial. At a pre-trial hearing held at Camp Liberty, Iraq, on October 7, Steele pleaded guilty to two charges relating to improper storage of classified materials and to one of possession of pornographic videos.
Steele's trial before a military judge on charges of "aiding the enemy, possessing classified information, disobeying orders and conduct unbecoming an officer" began in Baghdad on October 15.
On October 19, 2007, a military judge found Steele not guilty on the charge of aiding the enemy, but guilty of "unauthorized possession of classified documents, behavior unbecoming an officer for an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter and failing to obey an order". Steele was sentenced to 2 years confinement (of a possible maximum 6 year sentence for the charges to which he had previously plead guilty, as well as an additional 10 years for the charges for which he was convicted), credited with time served, loss of his military retirement, forfeiture of pay and allowances, and dismissal from the military.
Charge I: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 104
Specification: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 1 October 2005 and 31 October 2006, aid the enemy by providing an unmonitored cellular phone to detainees. (Acquitted of charge on October 19, 2007)Charge II: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 134
Specification: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 31 October 2006 and 22 February 2007, having unauthorized possession of classified information, violate Title 18, United States Code, Section 793(e), by knowingly and willfully retaining the same and failing to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it. (Convicted of charge on October 19, 2007)Charge III: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 133
Specification 1: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 20 October 2005 and 22 February 2007, knowingly and wrongfully fraternize with the daughter of a detainee, wherein such acts constituted conduct unbecoming an officer in the armed forces. (This specification was not recommended for trial by court-martial and was dismissed on June 10, 2007.)Specification 2: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 1 December 2005 and 11 December 2006, knowingly and wrongfully provide special privileges to and maintain an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter, wherein such acts constituted conduct unbecoming an officer in the armed forces. (Convicted of charge on October 19, 2007)
Charge IV: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 92
Specification 1: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 18 February 2007 and 21 February 2007, violate a lawful general regulation, to wit: paragraph 7-4, Army Regulation 380-5, dated 29 September 2000, by wrongfully and knowingly storing classified information in his living space. (Steele pleaded guilty to this specification on October 7, 2007.)Specification 2: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 1 September 2006 and 21 February 2007, violate a lawful general regulation, to wit: paragraph 4-32, Army Regulation 380-5, dated 29 September 2000, by improperly marking classified information. (Steele pleaded guilty to this specification on October 7, 2007.)
Specification 3: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, having knowledge of a lawful order issued by the 89th Military Police Brigade Deputy Commander, did, at or near Camp Victory, Iraq, on or about 22 February 2007, failure to obey the same. (Convicted of charge on October 19, 2007)
Specification 4: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, did, between on or about 18 February 2007 and 21 February 2007, violate a lawful general order, to wit: paragraph 2e, Multi-National Corps-Iraq General Order Number 1, dated 16 December 2006, by wrongfully and knowingly possessing pornographic video files. (Steele pleaded guilty to this specification on October 7, 2007.)
Specification 5: In that Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, between on or about 1 October 2005 and 31 October 2006, was derelict in the performance of his duties in that he willfully failed to fulfill his obligations as an approving authority in the expenditure of Field Ordering Officer funds. (This specification was not recommended for trial by court-martial and was dismissed on June 10, 2007.)
External links
- Charges Announced News Release - United States Central Command - April 26, 2007
- Trial Date Set For Officer Charged With Aiding Enemy News Release - United States Central Command - October 13, 2007
- U.S. commander under investigation for allegedly aiding the enemy
- US Iraqi prison commander detained
- Army officer who commanded MPs at Iraq prison accused of aiding the enemy, faces death penalty