A Marine officer is getting kicked out of the Corps after pleading guilty to attempting to sell Ecstasy on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. and for using illicit drugs at a dubstep concert, among other things.
Second Lt. Mitchell R. Nobis, was found guilty by general court-martial of “wrongfully and dishonorably” committing the following offenses: Using Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as Ecstasy; Possession of MDMA with intent to distribute; conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman; and lying to Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents.
Under federal law, MDMA has Schedule 1 classification, which refers to those drugs that have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
In other words: A boot-tenant with Headquarters Bn., 2nd Marine Division, was frequently rolling balls while on active duty, and then tried selling ecstasy to other folks, presumably Marines, on Camp Lejeune, and then when he was caught, he lied about it. On that note, court records show that Nobis deliberately misled NCIS agents on Feb. 6, 2020, when he denied taking Ecstasy while at a Zomboy concert in Raleigh, N.C. — a statement that proved to be “totally false.”
For those who may not be aware, Zomboy is a dubstep group, a genre of electronic music known not just for its style of sound, but its use of light shows and artistic displays, and the proliferation of glow sticks in the audience. Which begs the question: How are you going to convincingly tell someone that you went to a dubstep show and didn’t get high? That’s like returning to base after Burning Man and being surprised that you immediately had to take a urinalysis.
Nobis pleaded guilty to using MDMA on four occasions, and pleaded guilty to two charges for intent to distribute the drug between October 2018 and December 2019.
Nobis was sentenced on Sept. 10, 2020 to 16 months confinement, at which time he was credited with serving 217 days, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances, followed by his dismissal from the Marine Corps. This latest development comes not long after news broke that seven Marines, also with 2nd Marine Division, forgot to say no to drugs. Five lance corporals, one corporal, and a sergeant were all convicted of drug-related offenses during separate court-martials in November. The East Coast infantry division seems abundantly aware of the issue, and in December even went so far as to put out a friendly public service announcement begging Marines and sailors stationed at Camp Lejeune: Please, for the love of Chesty Puller, stop getting high.
Feature image: A photo composite showing a rave via Wikimedia Commons in the background and a U.S. Marine Corps photo of Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., in the foreground.