Marines pleads guilty in urination case

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Marine court-martialed for urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters and posing for pictures with them in Afghanistan has been sentenced to 30 days confinement, reduced in rank, fined and ordered to forfeit part of his pay for six months.

The Marine Corps announced Thursday that Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Chamblin pleaded guilty before a military judge. He admitted to wrongful desecration, failure to properly supervise junior Marines, and posing for photos with battlefield casualties.

The matter came to light with the disclosure in January of a video showing four Marines urinating on the bodies of three dead men in July 2011. A criminal investigation ensued. In September 2012 the Marines announced that Chamblin and Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola would be court martialed. Deptola's case is pending.