Sailors and Prostitutes in Bahrain
Gunners Mate 2nd Class Jihad Littlejohn was one of the Sailors that the NCIS investigated for a prostitution-related case. (Navy)
A Navy investigation revealed that Sailors in Bahrain were involved with trafficking and managing prostitution. Jihad Littlejohn coordinated with one of the prostitutes to bring more women to Bahrain. Then, he housed them in his off-post housing. He received a cut of the profits.
From the Military Times:
“You want some?” she asked the sailor in a text.
“Hell yea I do,” Littlejohn replied.
“Girls for what?” he asked.
“Work. Make money,” Raiwest answered. “Don’t tell nobody tho.”
Navy prosecutors later cited the text message exchange to allege that the duo had hatched a plan to fly several women in from Thailand, house them in Littlejohn’s off-post apartment and put them to work selling sex, with Littlejohn expected to take a cut of their earnings.
The petty officer would “take their passports, take their freedom,” Navy prosecutor Lt. Ty Christian said at Littlejohn’s trial in August 2019.
To seal the deal, Littlejohn allegedly paid Raiwest 1,000 Bahraini dinar (about $2,650 at the time) to front the cost of getting the prostitutes from Thailand to Bahrain, according to court records.
In return, Raiwest gave him her passport as collateral.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents raided Littlejohn’s apartment in September 2017 and found Raiwest’s passport hidden in a safe, according to court records and testimony.
For reasons that remain unclear, Raiwest didn’t testify at Littlejohn’s trial and the petty officer was acquitted on all charges last summer.
But in 2017, this alleged partnership between Littlejohn and Raiwest — chronicled in the text messages she provided to NCIS — helped spark a web of investigations that revealed how deeply involved some U.S. sailors had become with the commercial sex trade in Bahrain.
Throughout the next year, those probes uncovered evidence that sailors were housing prostitutes in their taxpayer-funded apartments, seizing the women’s passports and taking a cut of the women’s earnings, profiting from a sex trade that serviced shipmates who lived on the island or came ashore during port calls.
Allegations of brutal sexual assaults on the vulnerable woman also came to light, as did evidence of at least one sailor acting as an enforcer for local prostitutes, shaking down a shipmate for payments.
The Military Times article has extensive coverage of the NCIS’s investigation and the Navy’s reaction.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Navy, Shitbags
The only thing more stupid in using a prostitute is not paying the prostitute.
The secret service in Columbia learned that lesson the hard way.
“at least one sailor acting as an enforcer for local prostitutes, shaking down a shipmate for payments.”
I’d like to meet the recruiter who “hired” a “Jihad” to serve in our Navy.
Very enterprising bunch of Sailors. Smart, not so much.
Sailors using prostitutes? Who’d a thunk? Thought that’s why they let girls become ship board sailors? Sex slaves in an Arab country? Imported from another land? When has that ever happened? Must have been because of all the white privilege or the many Southerners that are in the Navy? Check the ensign lockers, gotta be a Confederate Flag in there somewhere. After all, most Navy Ships are built in Mississippi, aren’t they? And weren’t white men and Confederate Flags responsible for all the the slavery, everywhere? And prostitution? Massa don gwine on down to de quawters to see that high yellar gal? ‘Hole new meaning to the term ‘Thai food.”
Do hope that the /s/ was obvious for the above comments. I’ll leave it up to my fellow miscreanted d’weeds/weedettes as to who would have more jurisdiction/level of punishment in this case. UCMJ or local Authorities. Keel hauling, cat-o-nine lashings, and hanging from the yard arm come to my mind. YMMV
Just deal with them as seen fit and be done with it. My patience with everything is wearing thin with all the bullshit going on. I’m beginning to wonder if there is anything left that truly is worth fighting for now. I think a coma is preferable.
Probably depends on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) – if any – between the US and Bahrain, 5/77.
Many SOFAs routinely allow the US to assert jurisdiction over US personnel who commit crimes in-country. But that’s not always the case and I have no idea what the US-Bahrain SOFA says about that.
Figured that would be the case Hondo. Tanks. I know that way back yonder we would help keep the troops in line by giving the FIRST in country processing speech about, “you screw up, after Uncle Sam gets thru with you, then you are turned over to the local authorities for their punishment.” Or them , then us. Kept a little pamphlet type thingie with a synopsis of different crimes and the punishment thereof handy.
Usually, I would hope, sailors just have sex with prostitutes rather than becoming their pimps and white slavers.
Sadly, in these cases, rgr769, it seems that the sailors may have had a hand in keeping these girls enslaved.. Keeping them locked in their apartments, taking their passports, controlling their money, always keeping them “occupied.” The whole mess seems to go deeper than we see, in that “higher” used their “plausible deniability” or shocked face, or pearl clutch, or WHAT!?!, or…reasons.
Everybody knew what was happening, but nobody was saying anything. The corruption had to go all the way back to the country of origin.
Own, rent-to-own, rent.
Not much moral difference when the goods in question are slaves.
Do the crime, do the time. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
I feel dirty just reading that article. My Navy needs to bring back keel hauling.
Has there ever been a major case NCIS investigated that didn’t turn into a shit show?
Keelhauling and the lash…
Looks like these morons were already taking the rum and sodomy way too literally. Logically, they must really be longing for the lash as well.
Flogging around the fleet.
Before I was in A gang, I was in M div. and I remember in 1964, we were heading for San Juan PR and while operating in the Carib, I was standing messenger watch and our MM CPO Masterson tells me when we get to PR, drink soda pop and keep your pecker in your pants. Anyone remember the Army Navy beach and the baseball field plus the shoe shine kids hanging out on the pier. The going price for the sex was 5 & 2. $5 for the act and $2 for the room. Got my first tat in San Juan. I stuck with the beer instead of the pop.
At least they were women.
The Navy has come a long way.
You could post a spew alert, GT, just as a courtesy.
Sailors have been seeking women, that rented their pussies, for as long as there was a Navy… As far back as history could trace.
In fact, in Pompeii, there’s a ruin of a whorehouse. Each room had a different sex scene above the door. The interpreter claimed that the room was associated with the act, but there’s a more practical explanation.
Pompeii was a port city that brought in mariners from different parts of the Mediterranean. They spoke different languages. So the John pointed to one or a combination of the artwork to let the hooker know what he wanted.
Even Hawaii had whore houses that serviced the Sailors that were stationed there back in the 1940s.
There always has and always will be a market for the Sex trade. I remember both times Mrs. A Proud Infidel®™ and I rode the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge and when we got off in Silverton there were many markers denoting the Bawdy Houses that awaited money-laden horny Miners wanting booze as well.
Did the Pompeii houses have the same 5 & 2 like PR had in 64.?????????????
Hotel Street, Honolulu, right? I’ve come across more than a few references in various historical accounts and texts.
I was a beat cop on Hotel Street in Chinatown.
Still sleazy as ever, but definitely not the hot spot it was back in the day.
Word Brother.
A bit off-topic: anyone else wondering if Littlejohn may have had some “pharmaceutical assistance” with his physique after looking at the photo above?
Good question Hondo. If he is into pimping, roids are not a great leap.
An E-7 was caught in the sting… a quote from the link:
“You’re a chief petty officer in the United States Navy and you have no idea that you’re not supposed to be housing girls and making a profit off them?”
Idiot got 4 years in the brig and a DD. Not harsh enough… disgrace to the CPO Mess.
Oh and a E-8 got stung… the winning question:
“Is my career over?” he asked.
NO FUCKING SHIT, SHERLOCK…
Discipline in the Navy has been deteriorating for a little over two decades. Many of the folks that are E7s and E8s now came in during that time. They weren’t subjected, as junior Sailors, to the kind of military upbringing that you and I went through.
Hold them accountable for their actions? You got vilified. Political correctness, social justice re-engineering, touchy feely treatment, etc., became the norm.
I’ve seen many Sailors today, and their demeanor as well as actions they think are not issues but would have gotten their face ripped off for being stupid back in our time, and it sometimes makes me shake my head.
I saw it in the final years of my career… too many damn times. JO’s and some on my peers not wanting to hold people accountable and bending over backwards. Made me sick to my stomach every time I saw it.
When I retired, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me… and felt so sorry for those like me that were still in and trying to do the right thing.
HMCS,
There are a few of us left that hold the line. I tell Sailors, if you do something you have been specifically told not to do, expect the hammer. There is always a junior Sailor ready to take your place and get promoted.
I go aboard many ships to do exercises and still see proud Sailors who tell me of their goals and accomplishments. It is always a pleasure to meet and talk with them and gives me hope. There is a percentage that are lazy malcontents and they are the ones we read about in Navy Times. They either get out or are booted out. Good riddance to them.
If we can ever get properly manned up to meet the high optempo things will get a little better.
“Shore patrol logs obtained by Military Times also suggest the higher-ups were aware of how some sailors were spending their nights at various off-base watering holes. One November 2017 report showed 35 to 40 sailors at Wrangler, a popular nightclub. More than 100 suspected prostitutes were in attendance.”
I got a chuckle reading VADM Aquilino was “floored” and “outraged” by the trafficking, solicitation, and other crimes occurring in Bahrain. In other words, the Admiral didn’t want to pursue those crimes although everyone knew what was going on. It was off the radar screen until it wasn’t. He got his 4th star so it all worked well for him just the way it normally does for the “higher-ups.”
“One November 2017 report showed 35 to 40 sailors at Wrangler, a popular nightclub. More than 100 suspected prostitutes were in attendance.”
As a PACFLT Sailor and former PI Ranger, sounds like a normal night on Magsaysay in Olongapo.
Promote immediately ahead of peers.
Does everyone understand that upwards of 90% of “sex workers” are slaves? One way or another, the Chain and the Lash are present.
A few may be genuine free agents. Not for long if they stick with it.
Oppose slavery? Don’t rent them, either.
They were just enterprising young entrepreneurs exercising their love of capitalism by employing sex workers in victimless crimes.
Nothing to see here folks…move along…
Petty Officer Littlejohn is paying dearly for past transgressions. After spending two years at TPU Norfolk, they sent him to the Kearsarge….
His current enlistment expires in a little over a year, so I expect that will be it for him.
Records show he has a dependapotamus and one child.
I’m a little Old and have seen the works! On my first state side assignment as a 18 year old Buck SGT my 1SG had me take him home one evening, and stay for supper! He covered his whole career, and told me what not to do! Never put your Nuts on the Crush Line! I followed those rules my whole Career! I always wondered why the Marines ,and Navy guys would throw the lady’s of the 3rd floor balcony’s in Okinawa over a 5 dollar trick!!!
Bahrain is an interesting place. I was deployed there for 3 months back during Southern Watch. I LOVED it there. A really nice mix of Western and Arabic worlds. Definitely wasn’t like Saudi. They had booze, clubs. IIRC, lots of Brits came there. Back during the first Gulf War, my squadron billeted in a 5 star hotel and man, was it a 5 star! I wasn’t there during the war, but some of the Sailors who were bitched that the buffet was always the same. I advised them to shut their mouths if they were ever around Marines or Soldiers who ate MREs and sand in the desert for 6 months. Of course, when I was there, we stayed at a place called Sitra compound. Bearable, but definitely NOT 5 star. Heck, it was better than the first accommodations my squadron wanted us to stay in: tents. Someone wanted a good FITREP bullet that they drove down the expenses. I still remember a few of the Gulf Air flight attendants. Beautiful Brit and Irish girls. They had their pick of the Arab millionaires, so they didn’t want a damn thing to do with dashing naval officers. Not a damn thing. Sigh. The causeway on Thursday nights was PACKED with Saudis heading into Manama for booze and the ladies. As a matter of fact, our female navigator was offered $1500 to sleep with one of them. She didn’t do it. The Gold Sook was unbelievable. 3 floors of nothing but gold. They didn’t bother securing the individual stores at night. They just closed the front door of the Sook which was a HUGE bank vault door. Shaking my head just thinking about it. The squadron I was deployed with caused a bit of an international incident. One of the E-4s who went back and forth on the causeway got caught bringing booze into Saudi. Big no no. He got masted and the Saudis banned us from entering the country. No big loss if you ask me. Anyway, as far as these Sailors are concerned, throw the book at them. 10 years… Read more »
Old saying when I worked in the KSA – “the largest nightclub in Saudi is Bahrain”.
Saudis got their freak on over in Bahrain on the weekend, then stagger back home to get tight with Al and Moe at the local mosque…
Now I know I am old, this whole write-up is about an E-5 busted three years ago who wasn’t convicted… and his main squeeze was a naval informant? I’m gonna go out and look for justifiable outage…. be back soon. Maybe.