quote:

---

Cadet Says He Ran Site For Group Sex

ABCNEWS.com
May 3, 2003

In the world of online pornography, a user-group called "The Denver Horsemen" goes beyond computer fantasy to reality - arranging for sex parties with one woman and many men.

Online, the man in the cyber shadows who makes it possible goes by the initials "S.B." His full name is Sterling Barnes, and he's a 23-year-old senior at the Air Force Academy.

Barnes sets up what he calls "gang bangs" -- away from the academy -- and he also participates in the sex parties. The investigative team at ABCNEWS' Denver affiliate, KMGH, spent months tracking e-mails to Barnes' pornographic Web site, which posts pictures of the sex parties. The cadet posted 194 e-mails, according to KMGH reporter John Ferrugia, who tracked 180 of them back to the Air Force Academy.
The current investigation comes just months after several female cadets at the academy alleged that they had been raped and sexually assaulted by fellow cadets and that their complaints went largely ignored by the academy administration.

Ferrugia and his team contacted Barnes online. Barnes agreed to meet a couple he thought might be interested in participating in his group sex parties. The pair were actually members of the KMGH staff, who recorded their conversation with Barnes using a hidden camera.
If They Found Out, They'd Have Me by the ...

Barnes is scheduled to graduate in just three weeks, and will be a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. That's why he seemed, at first, a bit nervous when talking with the KMGH staffers. He claims he doesn't tell people about his site, fearing he'd be kicked out of the academy for conduct unbecoming an officer. But Barnes knows it's not only an issue of honor. What he's doing could end his career in the Air Force -- and even land him in the brig. "If you just ran the group and didn't participate, you could do that couldn't you?" one of the KMGH staffers asked. No, Barnes said, "Because it's a government network. The computer landline that we are on ... we can't do that. Even though I do it, I don't really give a F***. If they found out ... they'd have me by the b***."

In fact, Air Force regulations specifically forbid "storing, processing, displaying, sending or otherwise transmitting "offensive or obscene language or material," which includes "pornography or other sexually explicit materials." But even with all these rules, Sterling Barnes says he has been managing "The Denver Horsemen" site for two years.

"I started the group back in '01 and it got to like 3,000 people in four or five months," he told the KMGH staffers. Just this week, the site listed almost 9,000 members around the country. Even so, Barnes claims only one other academy cadet knows about the Denver Horseman. But, Barnes says, there is a female Academy staff member, who while not part of his online group, is aware of his activity.

Contributing to an Already Troubled Culture

"I find it improbable that other people around him wouldn't know that he's doing this," said Jeanette LeBlanc, who worked at the Air Force Academy in 1997 and 1998 as a consultant to deal with issues including attitudes toward female cadets.

"We were dealing with issues ranging from inappropriate e-mails to sexually suggestive comments on the terrazzo, peeping Toms in the bathrooms, all types of things. And a lot of those boiled down to issues of, about respect and dignity for female cadets," LeBlanc said. Given her experience, LeBlanc said, this latest incident involving Internet porn contributes to a climate at the academy she finds disturbing.

Some people would say there is nothing illegal about consenting adults having any kind of sexual activity. KMGH's John Ferrugia asked, "Why shouldn't this guy be able to do this outside of the academy? What's the problem?" LeBlanc said, "There are so many problems. It goes against the human relations code, the honor code. You've got misappropriation of government property and of those things. But it shows a blatant disregard for everything that the academy stands for." And LeBlanc is concerned that even consensual pornography could lead to more serious problems, including violence against women. She also expressed concern about the culture at the academy. "I do believe that the vast majority of cadets and faculty, staff, administration are of exemplary character and really reflect well on the academy. ... But in terms of this type of event, does say that the problems are even larger than I even imagined. ... He is one cadet, but this also makes me wonder about what else is going on."
A Security Risk in the Making?

From all appearances, the Denver Horsemen Web site involves consenting adults engaged in sexual activities that are legal, but there is little doubt Barnes' group sex parties strain the bounds of decency. Barnes described a recent party he organized. "We did a party a couple of months ago for this millionaire and his wife. We had a party at 2:00 in the afternoon and the other one at 7:30 at night. The first party had 13 guys, and the second party had like 17 -- something like that, 15, 17 whatever." How many women were at the parties? Just one, according to Barnes.

We took the results of our investigation to Sen. Wayne Allard, D-Colo., who has taken the lead in dealing with the Air Force Academy rape and sexual assault scandal. His immediate concern in this case is national security. "This guy would be a number one security risk as far as I can tell. And from what I'm seeing here is very subject to blackmail. They will use sexual misconduct as a way of leveraging a spy," Allard said. And upon graduation, Sterling Barnes is scheduled to be stationed at an Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio, where Barnes said he'll be a contracting officer negotiating and writing contracts.

Brig. Gen. John Weida is the acting Superintendent of the Air Force Academy, brought in last month after the recent sexual assault scandal. Speaking about the allegations against Sterling Barnes, he told us, "It's a valid concern to me that one of our members has violated our trust and we'll deal with that member, given due process of the law. Right now, this investigation has shown only one cadet's involvement and a possible other cadet. We'll look at the cadet, those associated with that cadet. We'll look at the training we gave that cadet. We'll look at how we failed with this cadet and why he chose to do what he did."

We called Sterling Barnes this week, after his room was searched and his computer taken by Air Force investigators. He declined to talk with us about the Denver Horsemen or the Air Force investigation. Sterling Barnes' Web site has now been taken down. But, ironically, we found another site he recently created, called Ohio Horsemen, soliciting new members in the Dayton area.

---

Fighters are our salvation, But BOMBERS alone provide us with the means of VICTORY! - Winston Churchill

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alejake

[quote]Cadet Says He Ran Site For Group Sex

ABCNEWS.com
May 3, 2003


Online, the man in the cyber shadows who makes it possible goes by the initials "S.B." His full name is Sterling Barnes, and he's a 23-year-old senior at the Air Force Academy.

Barnes said, "Because it's a government network. The computer landline that we are on ... we can't do that. Even though I do it, I don't really give a F***. If they found out ... they'd have me by the b***."

And upon graduation, Sterling Barnes is scheduled to be stationed at an Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio, where Barnes said he'll be a contracting officer negotiating and writing contracts.

Brig. Gen. John Weida is the acting Superintendent of the Air Force Academy, brought in last month after the recent sexual assault scandal. Speaking about the allegations against Sterling Barnes, he told us, "It's a valid concern to me that one of our members has violated our trust and we'll deal with that member, given due process of the law. Right now, this investigation has shown only one cadet's involvement and a possible other cadet. We'll look at the cadet, those associated with that cadet. We'll look at the training we gave that cadet. We'll look at how we failed with this cadet and why he chose to do what he did."

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by TheInfantry

screws it all up because he wanted to meet chics from the internet.

---

"Your Marines having been under my command for nearly six months, I feel that I can give you a discriminating report as to their excellent standing with their brothers of the Army and their general good conduct."-General John J. Pershing, U.S. Army

"Before I speak, I have something important to say" ... Groucho Marx