The nude photo scandal currently rocking the Marine Corps is much bigger than first imagined, going way beyond the one branch and a single Facebook page. According to Business Insider, the U.S. Department of Defense has widened its investigation into the secret sharing of naked photographs of female Marines on social media to include all branches of the military.

Investigators discovered dozens more photos on the website AnonIB, which first gained notoriety for publishing stolen nude photos of Jennifer Lawerence and other celebrities. Under a message board dedicated to military personnel, men from all branches of the military shared sexually-explicit photos of female service members and veterans containing their full names, rank, where they were stationed, and even their links to their social media accounts.

The exposure of the message board comes shortly after hundreds of photos of nude, semi-nude, and clothed women were discovered on the private Facebook group Marines United, which had approximately 30,000 male active duty and retired Marines.

The photos–some appearing to have been taken without the women’s knowledge–were accompanied by vulgar and obscene comments, many encouraging rape. The Facebook group also contained links to a now-deleted Google Drive containing even more images, and an invitation to any members to contribute.

The page was discovered last week by journalist Thomas Brennan, who is also a Marine veteran. Brennan’s reporting led to the Marine Corps opening an investigation into the Facebook page and its users. The Marine Corps responded with a 10-page guidance, which lists resources for victims and a website to report crimes

The guidance contained the following statement:

The Marine Corps is deeply concerned about allegations regarding the derogatory online comments and sharing of salacious photographs in a closed website. This behavior destroys morale, erodes trust, and degrades the individual. The Marine Corps does not condone this sort of behavior, which undermines our core values.

“A Marine who directly participates in, encourages, or condones such actions could also be subjected to criminal proceedings or adverse administrative actions,” the Marine Corps says.

Several active-duty marines have already been discharged and NCIS investigators are considering felony charges that could carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

The scandal comes at time when the military has repeatedly been accused of mishandling sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. Victims have already begun to come forward and encourage others to do so as well.

A former Marine, Erin Kirk-Cuomo, told CBS News that servicewomen have been reporting websites like “Marines United” for more than 10 years but were ignored. She said the issue was “laughed off by military leadership and members as harmless, expected, or invited.”

This time around, military officials and investigators seem devoted to pursuing justice. However, investigators could run in to trouble trying to find and prosecute active duty servicemen who used the AnonIB website. Unlike on the Facebook page where many active duty members posted using their personal accounts, the message board’s users are mostly anonymous. According to Business Insider, the site also appears to be registered in the Bahamas, which is outside U.S. law enforcement’s jurisdiction.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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If you are going to a pharmacy for a particular drug, you’re often offered a choice — do you want the name brand or the cheaper generic? Generics have long been lauded for their ability to provide the same benefits to patients while also offering a less hefty price tag; however, recently generics have been getting more expensive, and people are wondering why. Congress announced this week that it’s going to launch an investigation into why the price of generic drugs is rising.

When a drug company develops a particular drug, it gets to hold the patent for approximately twenty years (some nations or jurisdictions give protections for a bit longer). During that period, that company is the only one that can produce that particular drug. After the patent expires, however, other companies can make a “generic” version of the drug.

There are certain regulations created by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make sure that the generic drugs are able to be distributed. The FDA requires that a generic drug has the same active ingredients as the one that it is imitating, but not necessarily the same inactive ingredients (such as coloring). A generic has to perform the same function as the name brand, and it must of course meet the same health and safety standards.

Generic drugs tend to be less expensive than the name brands — and given the high cost of American health care, offer great and affordable options for consumers. However, it seems like the cost of these drugs is increasing. For example, the patent for Ambien, a popular sleep aid, recently expired. Now it’s a lot easier to get a generic version of Ambien for a cheaper price, and more people are able to get the product they need.

A study completed in August discovered that some generic prices have been dropping, while others have been rising almost exponentially. According to the Wall Street Journal:

The prices paid by pharmacies more than doubled for one out of 11 generics. And in a few cases – notably, the tetracycline antibiotic and the captopril blood pressure pill – the cost increases not only exceeded 1,000%, but topped 17,000%…. Yes, 17,000%.

Doctors have reported how troubling this kind of price increase can be in certain generic drugs for the patients who rely on them. Some patients who are on fixed incomes, such as those on Medicaid, may not be able to pay for the non-covered costs of the drugs if prices skyrocket that much. They may try to skip their prescriptions in an attempt to make ends meet. Not only is this obviously problematic for the patients themselves, but it also leads to more emergency room visits and a less healthy society in general.

That brings us to the investigation that Congress is evidently undertaking to try to figure out why exactly these generic prices are climbing so sharply and how to reverse the trend. The analysis is being pushed by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland. We can all say a lot about the inadequacies of Congress, but this is a good move on its part. It’s really important that we get the prices of generics under control, because price increases like this are almost always passed directly to the consumer. With as many healthcare problems as we have, this is an issue that needs to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Chris Potter/Stockmonkeys.com via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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