Scudi

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Navy admiral on the staff of the chief of naval operations has been charged with adultery, giving false official statements, obstruction of justice and an ethics violation.

Rear Admiral John T. Scudi, who directed the Navy office of outsourcing and privatization, has been relieved of his Washington duties.

Scudi has been charged with two counts of adultery stemming from relationships with two women. The obstruction of justice and lying charges are the result of the Navy's investigation into the alleged adulterous affairs.

The ethics violation stems from accusations that Scudi granted Navy contracts to a company that employed one of the women named in the adultery counts. The other woman is a Navy employee.

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"I'm struck by how this case involves impropriety with contractors and that means we need to pay special attention to it," Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig told CNN.

Scudi has been transferred to the authority of Vice Adm. Henry C. Giffin III, head of the Norfolk command.

A preliminary hearing for Scudi, known in the military as an Article 32, has been tentatively set for December 14. The hearing could lead to a court-martial.

Scudi, 54, is married. The admiral, who has served in the Navy for 32 years, has asked to retire but the Navy has not made a decision on that request. He has declined either to release a statement or speak with reporters.

The Washington Times said the charges mark only the second time the Navy has filed criminal charges against an admiral since Congress adopted the Uniform Code of Military Justice in 1951.

It said such cases against admirals and generals usually are handled in closed-door administrative proceedings.

Asked about complaints that enlisted men more often receive the full brunt of military justice than officers, Danzig told CNN, "I think we need to treat our leaders and our enlisted people the same way. We need to treat this case with that in mind."