Updated

The Marine Corps general in charge of dealing with accusations of rampant abuse and hazing of recruits at its Parris Island training facility has recommend charges and special courts-martial against three Marines and a preliminary hearing involving a fourth.

It is the first public legal step the Marine Corps has taken since the service announced in September that it was considering possible punishments for up to 20 Marine leaders at Parris Island in South Carolina. The decisions came amid three investigations into allegations of widespread abuse of recruits by drill instructors.

The investigations became public after the March 18 death of 20-year-old recruit Raheel Siddiqui, of Taylor, Michigan. A Marine Corps spokesman said the charges announced Tuesday were not related to the Siddiqui case, but involved two other investigations of suspected abuse at Parris Island.

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