Army officer sentenced to over 50 years in prison for raping, sexually assaulting multiple women in DC area

FORT MEADE, Md. (DC News Now) — An Army officer was sentenced Wednesday to 53 years in prison after a military jury found him guilty of rape, sexual assault and other crimes against several women in the D.C. area.

After deliberating for nearly three days, the jury convicted Maj. Jonathan Batt, 40, of 17 specifications, including two specifications of rape, five of sexual assault, two of aggravated assault by strangulation, seven of assault consummated by a battery, and one of obstructing justice.

The offenses involve eight of the 15 women Batt assaulted between August 2020 and February 2023, largely in the D.C. area, according to the Army.

It all started in August 2021, when Batt raped a woman and she reported the crime to the Alexandria Police Department. The Army states detectives paused the investigation for roughly a year at the woman’s request so she could heal from the trauma.

She reapproached investigators after seeing multiple women post about Batt on a Facebook group called “Are we dating the same guy – Washington, D.C.,” to which she gave detectives screenshots of what the other women were saying.

Detectives then discovered that there were over a dozen victims, which led the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division to open their investigation.

The Army states that Batt met most of his victims through dating apps, with many reporting they first enjoyed his company until he suddenly turned violent. Several victims claimed they were raped, tied with ropes, bitten, and strangled- some to the point of unconsciousness- during sex without their consent.

Batt will serve his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks and is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

“The sentencing of Maj. Batt is a significant victory for justice and sends a clear message that sexual assault will not be tolerated in the Army,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacob Cameron of Army CID’s Washington Field Office. “Our agents worked diligently alongside the Alexandria Police Department to build a strong case, demonstrating the power of interagency cooperation in seeking justice for survivors.”