BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says four Marines were demoted and severely punished for allegedly pushing a prostitute out of a car in Brasilia late last year after a dispute over payment.
The incident is similar, but unrelated, to the scandal involving Secret Service agents at the Summit of Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, before President Barack Obama arrived for a visit.
Panetta, speaking to reporters in Brasilia, says the Marines were pulled out of the country and had their ranks reduced.
He said he had "no tolerance for that kind of conduct."
