There’s an old saying in the Marine Corps that a Marine on duty has no friends. The only Marine with fewer friends than a Marine on duty is a Marine charged with multiple drug offenses under the UCMJ. This particular Marine was accused of being the main distributor and seller of controlled substances that were purchased off-base and subsequently sold on-base.
The Marines, who had no qualms about purchasing the substances, quickly took immunity deals and provided evidence against the Corporal. We’re not sure if an award for Blue Falcon of the year made it into their service record, but they sure as hell deserved one. The military justice system seemingly had the Corporal dead to rights, and they were about to destroy his life just to make a public example out of him. He was facing multiple charges under UCMJ:
- Article 112a (possession, importation and distribution of a controlled substance),
- Article 92 (failure to obey a lawful order), and
- Article 90 (assaulting or willfully disobeying a superior officer).
That’s when Timothy Bilecki, a court martial defense attorney, went to work and came after the prosecution’s case hard. They were not expecting this type of fight and were completely off-guard for such an aggressive defense. After the Article 32 hearing and litigating the case, Bilecki was able to secure an outcome that the Marine in question never thought possible. The client would only plead guilty to the lower-level offenses, and the others were withdrawn and dismissed.
Moreover, the plea agreement moved the case from a general court martial to a special court martial, which meant the Marine would only receive 30 days confinement, and there would be NO punitive discharge.
Defending Service Members Globally
Wherever Duty Calls, Our Defense Follows
