A Deserter and Confessed Traitor: The Amazing but True Story of Army Lieutenant Martin J. Monti Jr.

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On October 2, 1944, Second Lieutenant Martin J. Monti Jr. deserted from his unit in Karachi, India. He was apprehended thousands of miles away, in Bari, Italy, on May 14, 1945, and was court-martialed for desertion and larceny three months later. A jury of officers sentenced Monti to 15 years confinement at hard labor. A little more than three years later, Monti was indicted by a federal grand jury for treason. In January 1949, he confessed and pleaded guilty in U.S. district court in New York City and was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment.

What follows is the amazing but true story of Monti’s desertion, treason, and confession.