Jury selection begins Monday morning at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the court-martial of disgraced former Green Beret Maj. Jason Sartori.
Sartori, 37, faces six counts of assault and two of Article 134, bringing discredit upon the Army, according to a charge sheet provided to Army Times by 1st Special Forces Command.
“These charges are merely accusations," spokeswoman Maj. Beth Riordan told Army Times. "The accused is presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty.”
Sartori’s Special Forces tab has been revoked, but he is still serving as an 18-series officer, she confirmed.
He is accused of threatening his wife with a loaded weapon, strangling her twice, shoving her to the ground twice and restraining her by the wrists, in incidents that span from summer 2015 to spring 2016, according to the charge sheet.
While Article 134 is a catch-all that encompasses bad acts that aren’t otherwise detailed in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Sartori’s charges stem from child endangerment.
In August 2015, Sartori is accused of strangling his wife while she held one of their sons in her arms. In the other, he “did endanger the safety of said child, by brandishing a loaded firearm in his presence," according to the charge sheet.
The incidents took place at his home in Niceville, Florida, where Sartori serves with 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base.
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While the victim’s identity is redacted in the charge sheet, a 15-6 investigation provided to Army Times by a source familiar with the case includes allegations from Sartori’s wife of attacks on the same dates specified in his charges.
The Military Justice Act of 2016, which went into effect on Jan. 1, now treats child endangerment and domestic abuse as their own, additional charges. Sartori was charged under the previous laws, as the incidents occurred prior to 2019.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
