{"id":32903,"date":"2019-03-12T22:08:15","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T22:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/12\/heres-why-a-navy-cyber-chief-faces-court-martial\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:40:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:40:24","slug":"heres-why-a-navy-cyber-chief-faces-court-martial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/03\/12\/heres-why-a-navy-cyber-chief-faces-court-martial\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s why a Navy cyber chief faces court-martial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A chief in the Navy\u2019s secretive world of signals intelligence and cyber operations is facing a court-martial trial over allegations that he faked a cancer diagnosis to skip work for nearly two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military prosecutors say Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) John R. Errol feigned stomach cancer from March 2016 to February 2018 to avoid his job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also allegedly took an unauthorized absence from Cryptologic Warfare Group 6<\/a>, a cyber unit based out of Fort Meade, Maryland, from March 29, 2016 to June 12, 2018, according to charge sheets provided to Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Army, that\u2019s called going \u201cAWOL\u201d \u2014 absent without leave \u2014 but in the Navy and Marine Corps it\u2019s usually shortened to just \u201cUA,\u201d unauthorized absence. Despite the allegedly long absence, however, he was not charged with desertion.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Errol, 50, told officers and senior chiefs he was terminally ill and had cancer on several occasions in 2017, claims that were \u201ctotally false,\u201d according to the charge sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told an unnamed senior chief on July 23, 2017, that he \u201cwas going to a breathing treatment at John (sic) Hopkin<\/a>s,\u201d charge sheets state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSir, for the period requested I have been seeking private treatment,\u201d prosecutors allege he told a lieutenant. \u201cI had frequent [appointments] for smoking, breathing treatment, and private issues.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Errol “was not receiving breathing treatment at a private hospital,\u201d the charge sheets state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same day, a senior chief told Errol to provide his civilian medical records so they could be entered into the Navy\u2019s medical system, but he did not do so, according to charge sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Errol did not return a call seeking comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Requests for comment from Errol\u2019s attorney submitted through public affairs officials were not answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\t