Amelia Albers is a former Ensign in the United States Coast Guard who was gang raped by Lieutenant Commander William Taverts and fellow Coast Guardsmen.
Background[]
Albers grew up in a well-known military family. Her father Vincent was a respected admiral and, as a result, Albers decided to continue the family tradition by joining the Coast Guard.
Military Justice[]
When she reported to Coast Guard Station Sheep's Head Bay, LCDR Taverts continually tried to get her to sleep with him but she refused to do so. While she was on leave, she and three other officers went to a club to drink and dance but when they leave the bar, the two of officers and LCDR Taverts gang rape Albers while the third officer, who was gay, held her arms down. After the assault, ENS Albers went to drink more alcohol and was then arrested for driving under the influence. While incarcerated, the police officers who arrested her notice her ripped clothes and injures and call the Special Victims Unit to investigate what happened to her. When she is questioned by the detectives, ENS Albers refused to cooperate with the detectives for fear of damage to her reputation in the military.
After she is released, she, with the support of her parents, tells the SVU detectives about how Taverts and the other officers sexually assaulted her. While A.D.A. Rafael Barba and Albers are going over the details of her rape, military police officers come in and arrest Albers for adultery because one of the officers who raped her was married. Eventually the detectives are able to get her released on recognizance. She then testifies about how Taverts and the other officers raped her. During John Buchanan's cross examination he claims that she was embarrassed and that the sex was consensual. Eventually the officers who raped her are convicted and the adultery charges against her are dropped. Because she pressed charges against Taverts and the other officers, ENS Albers is given a general discharge (under honorable conditions) from the Coast Guard. Albers regrets that she wasn't able to become a decorated officer like her father, but ADM Albers tells her that speaking about her rape took courage and that he was proud of her. This left her pleased with his support.