July 26, 2025
New York, NY
Denise Rucker Krepp, a Coast Guard veteran, attorney, and former Chief Counsel of the U.S. Maritime Administration, has filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of the Navy, accusing senior leadership of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) of retaliation, gender discrimination, and FOIA violations.
A central claim in the lawsuit is the allegation that she was targeted for retaliation after briefing congressional committees about Operation Fouled Anchor, the internal Coast Guard investigation that exposed decades of sexual assault coverups at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Operation Fouled Anchor revealed a systemic pattern of mishandled sexual assault cases, many of which had been ignored or intentionally buried for years by Coast Guard leaders.
According to her lawsuit, Krepp, a long-time advocate for accountability in maritime and military institutions, shared information with the Senate Commerce Committee, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and House Oversight and Transportation Committees to highlight the failures in protecting cadets and service members. Her lawsuit states that this advocacy led to immediate backlash from NHHC leadership.
According to the complaint, Krepp’s supervisors—Rear Adm. (Ret.) Samuel A. Cox and Capt. (Ret.) Patrick C. Burns—retaliated by questioning her congressional communications, accusing her of using government time improperly, and excluding her from key meetings. Her performance...
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