Coast Guard Gunner's Mate Jesse Phillips claims drunk colleague sexually assaulted him after members were forced to share BEDS during drill weekend

A member of the US Coast Guard has begged the service to hold sexual abusers accountable after accusing them of brushing off allegations he was attacked by a colleague, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Jesse Phillips, 42, claims he was assaulted by a fellow member of the Coast Guard while on a drill weekend in 2022.

The 23-year veteran was told that the USCG had 'no jurisdiction' over the assault, because his alleged attacker was a 'inactive reservist' and there was nothing they could do.

His lawyer, Peter Gleason, claims that the Coast Guard created a 'predatory environment' with 'inadequate sleeping arrangements' – forcing two male members to share a bed.

Jesse Phillips, 42, is a 23-year veteran of the US Coast Guard and claims he was sexually assaulted by a fellow member while on a drill weekend in 2022

Phillips (bottom left) tells DailyMail.com that he was forced to share a hotel bed with another member who pinned him down and began humping him

The accusations come after the service was accused of covering up sexual assaults of cadets, with the Coast Guard's top admiral vowing to make reforms

Phillips, who joined the Coast Guard in 2001 and is currently a Gunner's Mate, told DailyMail.com that he was groped and dry humped by a colleague in April 2022 in New Jersey, when four members were sharing a hotel room.

'We went to lunch, and then went back to our hotel,' he said. 'We were eating, and this individual was drinking a lot. I don't know exactly what he was drinking at that point.

'But after we finished, I said let's go get something else, he got a 12 pack of Yuengling lager, and I got some Budweiser seltzer.

'He was drinking quite a bit. He just kept going and going. He started doing a striptease in front of us, he didn't get naked but took everything off to his shorts – it was a little strange.

'I just wanted to go to sleep, I lay down to go to bed and our buddy was on the other bed. I had my face first into the pillow with my keister up.

'He then runs over and jumps on me, he grabbed me and started to dry hump me. I told him to get off.

'He was drunk, but it felt like he was pinning me down and he finally got off me. That was the end of the night and I just wanted to be done with it.'

Phillips did not report the incident until January 2023, saying he 'compartmentalized' the alleged assault until he was asked to recall the night as part of a separate investigation.

A commander spoke to Phillips and two of his colleagues after a report of 'inappropriate touching' was made by the man who Phillips claims assaulted him.

Phillips aid that they were interrogated by agents, had their lockers and armory scoured in a search for drugs – with the 'ordeal lasting for at least 15 hours'.

'I don't do drugs. It just made all of us feel like crap. After it happened, initially I was stressed, and my psyche was shot,' he said.

'After they asked me to go through it all, that was when I really thought about what happened. I was replaying everything that I could recall.

'And I'm like, wait a minute, this happened to me. I don't trust people anymore. I don't even want to be around people that I don't know.'

Phillips's lawyer Peter Gleason claims that the Coast Guard created a 'predatory environment' with 'inadequate sleeping arrangements' – forcing two male members to share a bed

Gleason is a Coast Guard veteran himself and confirmed that he had reached out to Congress to discuss his client's case, saying they would both be willing to testify

Phillips (far right) claims his colleague 'runs over and jumps on me, he grabbed me and started to dry hump me. I told him to get off. He was drunk, but it felt like he was pinning me down and he finally got off me'

The accusations come after the service was accused of covering up sexual assaults of cadets, with the US Coast Guard's top admiral vowing to make reforms after a report, dubbed Fouled Anchor, came to light.

Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the Coast Guard, ordered the 'buried' report from 2020 to be released in December 2023, which accused the service of fostering a 'permissive environment' for sexual harassment and assault.

The Fouled Anchor report found that 'too many' Coast Guard members don't feel safe and called for a crackdown on 'inappropriate or unhealthy behavior' at the earliest stages, including lewd jokes and comments.

Phillips accused the USCG of failing to do their 'due diligence' when investigating the matter.

He told DailyMail.com that he 'wasn't surprised' when officials told him that they were unable to take any action against his alleged assailant, because he is an 'inactive reservist.

Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the Coast Guard, vowed reforms after the service was accused of covering of sexual assaults of cadets 

'I can't attest to why they did it,' he added. 'I wasn't surprised that they said they couldn't do anything.

'I was still disappointed, but it wasn't like a big punch in the gut. They put on a façade that they're going to hold everybody accountable.

'Don't tell everybody that they have rules, that this is the bar we're going to hold everyone accountable, but then give some people carte blanche to do what they like.

'It's just very disappointing. It's a failure on their part. My trust is nonexistent. It was detrimental to my psyche. I get mad easier, because of this. My temperament has gotten worse.'

Phillips said that the incident exacerbated his mental health issues and he has started seeing a therapist as well as continuing to take anti-depressants.

He is calling for the USCG to 'hold people accountable', and uphold the standards 'across the board'.

He said he believes his allegations were swept under the rug because his 'sole witness' was initially accused of misconduct.

During his probe he claims that his higher-ups accused him of making up the incident, and trying to defend his friend, which he denies.

'It's crazy' he added. 'I don't make false allegations. You could destroy somebody's life like that. I still want to serve my country, that's never going to be taken away.

'But it's just very disheartening. It's a little tarnished, but I'm not going to downgrade or speak badly about the service.'

The USCG failed to inform Phillips that his alleged attacker would be attending their final board meeting in person, leaving him 'shocked' at his appearance, he said.

He is urging anyone with a similar experience to come forward, even if they feel 'humiliated or embarrassed' by what happened.

The US Coast Guard said in response to DailyMail.com, 'The Coast Guard takes allegations of sexual assault seriously. Each case is investigated and evaluated on its merits. 

'Due to changes enacted by Congress and effected in 2024, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor is the final authority that decides whether an allegation of sexual misconduct in violation of UCMJ Article 120 will be tried at court-martial. 

'In the case of the referenced servicemember, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor determined that the case against their alleged assailant would not go forward to court-martial. Final disposition of this case is still pending; therefore we cannot comment on pre-decisional matters.'

Adm. Fagan ordered a 'buried' sexual assault report from 2020 to be released in December 2023, which accused the service of fostering a 'permissive environment' for sexual harassment and assault

The Fouled Anchor report, buried for years, found that from the late 1980s through 2006, dozens of allegations of sexual assault at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, were swept under the rug

Following the Fouled Anchor report the Coast Guard confirmed that Congress had launched its own investigation, requesting that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) open an independent probe.

'The Coast Guard is fully committed to cooperating with these efforts and will consider all recommendations for additional remedial action or improvement that might be identified,' the statement added.

Phillips's lawyer Gleason confirmed that he had reached out to Congress to discuss his client's case, saying they would both be willing to testify.

He added: 'This scenario is analogous to the manner in which cadets at the US Coast Guard Academy were sexually victimized for decades.

'The Coast Guard did not provide cadets a safe environment. Rather the Coast Guard turned a blind eye to the systematic sexual abuse, and continues to sidestep any and all accountability.

'The Commandant was a student in the Coast Guard Academy during the throes of this Fouled Anchor matter,' added Gleason.

'She was the number two in charge of the entire coast guard when the cover up was occurring.

'To say that she had no knowledge of the cover up when she's the number two person or the executive officer and the Coast Guard, is beyond disingenuous.

'The irony of how Jesse Phillips is being treated is not lost on the notion that many of the individuals, senior officers, that are brushing this matter under the rug or ignoring this matter, are females.

'You would think a female officer, particularly given how females have been treated for the last several decades within the Coast Guard, would want to get to the bottom of this.'