Ex-Marine ordered to pay sex assault victim

A former U.S. Marine accused of having sex with applicants at the Ukiah recruiting office has been ordered to pay $61,000 to a young woman he’s alleged to have victimized.

The judgment, ordered in U.S. District Court March 20, was entered in default against former Sgt. Brian Fukushima because he failed to appear in court.

In making her ruling, Judge Marilyn Patel apologized to his victim, known in court documents as Mary Roe.

“It’s unbelievable something like this happened,” she said. “It’s unforgivable.”

The judgment follows a Marine Corps agreement last year to pay $200,000 to two women who claimed the Corps violated their constitutional rights by ignoring sexual assaults on female recruits.

The sexual encounters alleged in the lawsuit also were a part of the 2005 courts-martial of Fukushima and Staff Sgt. Joseph Dunzweiler, both Santa Rosa-based recruiters.

Both men have since left the Marine Corps, which did not renew their contracts when they expired, according to court documents.

Most of the alleged incidents involved activities at the Ukiah recruiting center.

Witnesses at the courts-martial described a “frat house” atmosphere at the Ukiah recruiting center.

The case against Dunzweiler is pending, said the plaintiff’s Ukiah attorney, Barry Vogel.