Navy O-5 select arrested for sex trafficking

| March 25, 2022

Lt Comm Charles Cranston Jr

A US Navy security officer, who was selected for promotion to O-5/commander last year after 27 years of service, has been arrested for encouraging and assisting prostitution. According to the allegations, he was looking to be a pimp business manager for a whore. Too bad he was talking to an undercover cop.

ninja sends in the Stars and Stripes report;

A Navy security officer in Virginia tried to help further the career of an undercover detective he thought was a prostitute, posting an ad that garnered over a dozen responses, prosecutors said this week in court.

Lt. Cmdr. Charles M. Cranston Jr., of Chesapeake, Va., also told the vice detective that he had a studio and an OnlyFans page to help make money, authorities said at a hearing Tuesday in Henrico County Circuit Court, Norfolk’s WTKR News 3 reported.

A longtime member of the Navy’s law enforcement and security branch, Cranston pleaded guilty at the hearing to a charge of commercial sex trafficking to receive money.

The felony charge involves soliciting, recruiting or encouraging a person to engage in prostitution.

Cranston could face one to 10 years in prison for the felony conviction. A jury or court also has the discretion to impose a lesser sentence of up to 12 months in jail or a $2,500 fine, or both.

Neither he nor his attorney provided comment when reached by WTKR.

Cranston was arrested at a Norfolk base on Nov. 18 on charges related to an incident near Richmond early that month, police said at the time. The Navy confirmed he was then serving with U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

Prosecutors at Tuesday’s hearing said Cranston had responded to an ad targeting potential sex trafficking, which was posted by the Henrico County Police Division’s vice unit on Nov. 2. Detectives worked with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service during the investigation.

Using the alias “Tony,” Cranston sent text messages agreeing to split the costs of the hotel room with the supposed prostitute and discussing what would take place there, authorities said.

His career seems to have been a good one. They report;

Cranston had served in the Navy for 27 years at the time of his arrest, his LinkedIn profile showed, including a stint as the enlisted community manager for the master-at-arms rating, where he was responsible for helping manage the careers of sailors in the security specialty.

Category: "Teh Stoopid", Crime, Dick Stepping, Navy

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ChipNASA

OK I know it’s early and I haven’t had my coffee yet (Actually I rarely drink coffee, various convenience store energy drinks for my drink of choice) anyway, did anyone else read that headline as “selected“ for sex trafficking ???
Anyone, anyone, Bueller, Bueller??? 🤣🧐🤨
Well, that might be the end result anyway!!!😑🫡🫣😁

Last edited 2 years ago by ChipNASA
5JC

So on point, how the hell did they know?

Last edited 2 years ago by 5JC
Martinjmpr

Lt Commander Upgrayedd?

Anonymous

That extra D for the double dose of pimpin’ was all his.

Last edited 2 years ago by Anonymous
ninja

“Navy records show Cranston enlisted in the Navy in April 1994 and served on the USS John Rodgers and USS Saipan before commissioning as an officer in June 2006. After completing initial officer training, Cranston served with a Maryland-based air test and evaluation squadron until 2009, then later served aboard the USS Wasp and USS Gerald R. Ford. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in Sept. 2016. Among his military awards and decorations are the Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Navy and
Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.”

Old tanker

There was a slight mistake in word selection here. Minor issue other than it totally changes the entire situation. I believe the proper word was supposed to be prostitution…

A US Navy security officer, who was selected for promotion to O-5/commander last year after 27 years of service, has been arrested for encouraging and assisting prosecution.”

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

Way to s**t on a career. Not everyone can be a Chester Nimitz, but that doesn’t mean that you have to become a Chester NumbNuts.

Hate the game, not the playa.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Was that prosecution or prostitution. I hope he wasn’t a Snipe to give Engineering a bad name

ninja

From his LinkedIn Account. How ironic.

“Experienced Naval Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the military industry. Skilled in leading a large organization who’s specialize in Customer Service, Management, Strategic Planning,
Public Speaking, and Microsoft Office.”

ChipNASA

 😑  😂 
I have NO idea why I laughed so hard at this.
Also,
This took WAY too long for me to make.  🙄 

Windows 420.jpg
Anonymous

comment image

Green Thumb

The Navy ain’t batting a 1000 here recently.

What a fool.

Anonymous

Ah, Nof*ck… always was a sh*thole.
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ninja

Dude is only 45 years old and has a wife and two children.

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

And? Your point is? At 45 I had a wife and four children. And retired/close to retired from Uncle Sam Ain’t Released Me Yet.

He’s still very young…with young children…

He may end up going to prison for 10-20 years….mist likely no source of income for his wife and two children…as well as the stigma placed on his family.

So Sad. Not for him. Sadness for his family. They are the true victims.

Sapper3307

Boats ‘N Hoes
xUsOJrw5PJE

5JC

When I was at Ft. Bliss a long time ago one of my fellow commanders had a soldier in the jail. The soldier had abducted a woman off the street, raped her and then told her that she was going to be working for him as a hooker from then on. He then dropped her at a street corner and told her to come back with money. Strangely she flagged down the first police car she saw instead.

I believe the former soldier is still in prison, assuming he didn’t get time off for good behavior.

A Proud Infidel®™

27 years down the shitpipes, BRILLIANT MOVE, POINDEXTER!!!

STSC(SW/SS)

Maybe someone will be pimping him in the slam.

26Limabeans

National security and sex have always been bed buddies.
Geez…you would think they would warn about such activity.

KoB

Yep, looks like he fornicated vertically (ht 2 OAM). Inherwebz sex talk is usually a scam…or a cop. Bubba will be your pimp and you will be the prostitute for Cell Block C. Prison Bride Weekly will not be your only “spread”.

Dumbass.

ChipNASA

Is ANYONE gonna comment on those ears?? | mean, I haven’t seen ears like that since, well…

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Anonymous

And he done jacked-up our force structure for dealing w/ two contingencies…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-axing-cold-war-era-060731135.html

Ocean12

Stand by for a safety stand down, PowerPoint presentation reminding us not to be pimping

rgr769

I wonder what the Navy will do to him, after he gets out of the county pound. He will likely get out after he does six months of his sentence. Can the Navy take his retired pay for conduct unbecoming?

Hondo

If he’s still on active duty, my understanding is that he can definitely be court-martialed for conduct unbecoming and dismissed. The charges here appear to be state charges, and my understanding is that federal (UCMJ) charges are not precluded by double jeopardy in such a case.

I’d give long odds that a dismissal won’t happen, though. Why? Because that would “hurt his family”. Court-martial panels seem very reluctant to sentence retirement-eligible commissioned officers convicted of even serious crimes to dismissal for that reason, and lesser options that would allow eventual retirement (reduction in rank) by law cannot be part of a commissioned officer’s court-martial sentence.

If he is retired (not likely from reading the linked article), since the crime occurred while he was on active duty in theory he could be recalled for court-martial – but I wouldn’t hold my breath. However, I’d guess the Navy might decide to hold an admin grade review board in that case.

Last edited 2 years ago by Hondo
Hondo

Addendum: one additional possibility is that the Navy could offer him the “opportunity” to resign in lieu of court-martial. Were he to do that, he might permanently forfeit his retired pay w/o being dismissed – or he might not. I don’t know if voluntary resignation when retirement eligible results in a permanent bar to future applications for retired pay under such circumstances.

We’ve seen one somewhat-similar case at TAH previously. It involved a Navy LT who was sanctuary-eligible (>18 yrs active service, which typically guarantees service to retirement) but ended up facing serious criminal charges. He apparently received an OTH discharge, likely as the result of resigning in lieu of court-martial. Fairly sure he ended up getting zero retired pay.

But there, the “fine individual” wasn’t already retirement eligible when he resigned. This one is.

Last edited 2 years ago by Hondo
MCPO USN

This numbnuts was in the same command as I back in 2009-2010 (MSRON 6). I think he was a thumbsucking LTjg at the time. He was not a rock star then either

MCPO USN

Have to add since I have not seen this mentioned in the comments, was this his version of “breaking bad”?

Carlton

About to be promoted, 3 years from a nice retirement … All down the drain

Matthew W

How do you wake up one day and decide to go into the pimping business?