What the Army publicly described as “prohibited relationships” between two drill sergeants and trainees at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, was, according to official court documents, far more serious than initially presented.
The misconduct traces back to the summer of 2024, inside Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd Chemical Brigade—a Basic Combat Training unit responsible for transforming civilians into soldiers.
Charge sheets obtained by The Salty Soldier show that what unfolded in that training environment included allegations of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority, and coordinated efforts by senior noncommissioned officers to conceal their actions once concerns were raised.
According to those documents, multiple incidents occurred on or about August 7, 2024—just days before the trainees involved were set to graduate from basic training.
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Sullivan, 39, a senior drill sergeant in the unit, was originally charged under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The charge sheet alleged non-consensual sexual conduct involving a trainee under his supervision.
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That allegation reflects a far more serious offense than what was later described publicly. While official statements emphasized “prohibited relationships,” the initial charges pointed to conduct prosecuted at the highest levels of military criminal law.
Sullivan was also charged under Article 93a, a statute specifically designed to address misconduct by leaders in positions of authority over trainees. Prosecutors alleged that while serving in a training leadership role, he engaged in sexual activity with a trainee he knew was a protected junior servicemember in initial entry training.
Staff Sgt. Michael Serrano, 34, another drill sergeant in the same company, faced similar allegations tied to that same time period. His charge sheet describes sexual activity with a trainee under his supervision, as well as attempts to pursue a relationship with another recruit.
The documents make clear this was not simply two isolated incidents.
Both men were charged with conspiracy, accused of knowingly operating within the same unit while engaging in prohibited conduct with trainees and being aware of each other’s actions. Prosecutors alleged that the misconduct occurred within the same training cycle and involved coordination between the two NCOs.
As scrutiny increased in early August 2024, the charge sheets also describe efforts to contain the fallout.
Serrano was charged with obstruction of justice after making statements intended to interfere with the investigation, including remarks suggesting mutual consequences if either individual was held accountable. According to the filing, those statements were made with the intent to influence witnesses and disrupt the investigative process.
That behavior aligns with the Army’s later acknowledgment that both drill sergeants agreed on a fabricated story and initially denied any misconduct when questioned by Army Criminal Investigation Division agents.
The case began to unravel on August 7, 2024—the same date cited in the charge sheets—when a trainee, just one day away from graduating Basic Combat Training, submitted a letter to the unit’s staff duty desk. In that letter, she described inappropriate conduct by Sullivan and raised concerns about similar behavior involving Serrano and another trainee.
That report triggered a CID investigation at Fort Leonard Wood, leading to witness interviews across the company. According to the Army, those statements directly contradicted the drill sergeants’ denials and ultimately formed the basis for the charges brought later that year.
By October 2024, formal charges had been referred through the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, as reflected in the referral documentation for both cases.
The cases moved through the military justice system over the following months, culminating in court-martial proceedings held April 21–22, 2026, at Fort Leonard Wood.
Despite the severity of the original allegations, both men ultimately accepted plea agreements that significantly reduced their exposure.
Sullivan pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact and was sentenced to 84 days of confinement, reduction to E-1, and an Other Than Honorable discharge. He will also be required to register as a sex offender under federal and state law.
Serrano pleaded guilty to prohibited sexual activity with a trainee and received 47 days of confinement, reduction to E-1, and a General discharge.
In exchange, prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges, including more serious allegations and additional specifications tied to conspiracy and obstruction.
The contrast between the initial charges and the final outcome highlights ongoing concerns about misconduct within training environments—particularly where drill sergeants exercise significant authority over trainees.
At Fort Leonard Wood in the summer of 2024, that authority existed within a controlled environment where trainees had limited ability to challenge those in positions of power.
That dynamic is precisely why Congress created Article 93a—to recognize that meaningful consent is compromised in relationships between instructors and trainees.
In this case, the full scope of what was alleged becomes clearer through the charge sheets themselves.
They outline allegations of abuse of authority, prohibited conduct within a training environment, coordinated actions between senior NCOs, and attempts to interfere with the investigation once it began.
And like many cases across the force, it took a single trainee, just days before graduation, to bring the situation to light.
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