Sailor pleas guilty to advocating supremist, extreme doctrine, other offenses

SAN DIEGO - An enlisted sailor who was assigned to the USS Lake Eerie, of which San Diego is the port home, was sentenced to 23 months in

military confinement for advocating acts of violence against the military and law enforcement, the Navy announced today.

Court-martialed former Petty Officer 3rd Class James Charles Hart was stripped of his ranks and dishonorably discharged Thursday after pleading

guilty to promoting supremacist and extreme doctrine, illegally possessing a firearm/ammunition on base, larceny and illegally dealing in firearms,

according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The NCIS and the San Diego FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force began investigating the sailor in January after receiving a tip that he had used his

social media to advocate for acts of violence against the military and law enforcement. The agencies found posts calling for violence against Navy

personnel and assets, and Hart's expressed support for the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 insurrection, according to an NCIS statement.

During a search of his barracks room, authorities retrieved a loaded handgun, ammunition and stolen gas masks. Authorities also found evidence that

Hart illegally sold a firearm through a review of his phone, according to NCIS officials.

``Petty Officer Hart betrayed his oath to the Navy and deserves to be held fully accountable for his hateful and criminal actions,'' said Special

Agent in Charge Joshua Flowers of the NCIS Southwest Field Office. ``NCIS is dedicated to protecting Navy and Marine readiness from being degraded by

criminal activity.''

Flowers added that the conviction ``should serve as a warning,'' and that the NCIS, FBI and partner agencies are dedicated to thorough

investigations to any and all criminal threats against the Navy.

``Mr. Hart's case is a prime example of the breadth and depth of the work done on the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces,'' said Special Agent in

Charge Suzanne Turner of the FBI's San Diego office. ``The FBI and our partner agencies will use all available investigative tools in all available venues to

prosecute these crimes.''

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