Navy SEAL Team 6 member convicted in sexting case

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A member of the Navy's elite SEAL Team 6 has been convicted of indecent conduct in a case where he was accused of impersonating someone and soliciting nude photos of women.

Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Howard was sentenced on Friday to spend 30 days in a military prison , forfeit $500 of his pay for three months and take a reduction in rank to petty officer second class, according to a statement from Navy Region Mid-Atlantic obtained by The Virginian-Pilot.

Howard was originally charged with receiving nude photographs, but those charges were dismissed, the newspaper reported.

Howard was accused of using a text messaging app to create a fake phone number and send messages to women, prosecutors alleged during a court-martial at Naval Station Norfolk. In at least once case, prosecutors added that Howard pretended to be a female dietitian hired by Naval Special Warfare Development Group in order to get women to send naked pictures.

Howard's attorney has said the only thing linking his client to the messages is that whoever sent them said they were stationed in San Diego and liked to work out with kettle bells. He said that could apply to any number of SEALs.