Two members of the United States Marine Corps have found themselves on the wrong side of the law after being charged with hate crimes for scrawling racial slurs at the University of Maryland. Lance Cpl. Hayden Pritchard, 22, and Lance Cpl. Sergio Delgado, 21, are facing allegations related to an incident where antisemitic symbols and slurs targeting the Black community were discovered inside a residence hall on the campus last year, according to a report by Military.com.
The charges stem from an investigation that started following the discovery of the hateful graffiti last spring Pritchard was slapped with trespassing and a count of race/religious property damage, while Delgado has been charged with trespassing, as per University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD) release which was noted in a report from CNN. The two were not enrolled in any University System of Maryland schools, Mike Lurie, a spokesperson for the system, clarified, raising questions about their presence on campus.
In a statement obtained by Military.com, a spokesperson for Marine Barracks Washington, also known as the 8th and I, confirmed that the men identified by UMPD were indeed the ones charged. The barracks have historically served as the Marine Corps’ epicenter since 1801, housing its commandant and elite ceremonial units. The charges against Delgado and Pritchard "reflect conduct that is inconsistent with the exceedingly high standards the United States Marine Corps expects of its Marines," detailed the statement from Marine Barracks Washington.
Details about the investigation that led to the identification of Pritchard and Delgado were provided by university police, who, according to WTOP, noted that security video was crucial in pinpointing the two Marines as the perpetrators behind the defacement; they managed to capture the act of writing antisemitic symbols and anti-Black slurs across at least two floors of the dormitory. With assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, additional information on the crimes is being pursued, pointing to a concerted effort to fully unravel the incident.
These charges have cast a shadow on the otherwise sterling image of discipline and honor associated with the Marine Corps. Both enlistees, who trained and subsequently posted together, had only joined the Marine Corps in January 2022 and finished their recruit training by April of that year. By October, they had completed the School of Infantry–West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., before being assigned to Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., in December 2022.
