Man Found Not Guilty of Assault at U.S. Antarctica Research Station Amid Wider Harassment Scrutiny

Stephen Tyler Bieneman was acquitted after juror deliberation; case gained attention amid growing concerns of widespread sexual harassment and assault allegations being disregarded at the Antarctic research station, with the National Science Foundation oversight office announcing investigations into such crimes.

Stephen Tyler Bieneman was found not guilty of misdemeanor assault at a U.S. research station in Antarctica. He pulled tissues from a box on the defense table and cried as each juror was polled and said they found him not guilty.
The incident occurred at McMurdo Station in November, where the case attracted attention due to ongoing claims of dismissive handling of harassment and assault reports. The National Science Foundation's office sent investigators to McMurdo to expand their mission to include alleged crimes such as stalkings and sexual assaults.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammad Khatib stated that Bieneman assaulted a woman who took his nametag as a joke, which Bieneman denied in his testimony. Bieneman claimed that the woman was the one who started the confrontation and tried to fight him for the nametag.
During the trial, Bieneman testified that the woman 'got in his face' uninvited to his birthday and Thanksgiving celebration. He argued that she used all her strength against him to prevent him from retrieving his nametag.
Following the incident, Bieneman was sent to a remote ice field to protect a professor and three graduate students' safety, raising questions about the National Science Foundation's decision-making process. Bieneman was assigned to this safety role while under investigation, and he remained there for a full week after issuing his arrest warrant.