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:
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Article 112a (possession, importation and distribution of a controlled substance),
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Article 92 (failure to obey a lawful order), and
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Article 90 (assaulting or willfully disobeying a superior officer).
Tim Bilecki represented the Corporal through the Article 32 hearing and subsequent litigation. He negotiated against a case built in part on Marines who had received immunity for their own conduct. The agreement required guilty pleas only to lower-level offenses; the remaining charges were withdrawn and dismissed.
Moreover, the plea agreement moved the case from a general court martial to a special court martial, limited confinement to 30 days, and protected the Marine from a punitive discharge.
Prior results do not predict future outcomes.