Patterns of behavior are often hard to ignore, and yet, when a pattern of behavior damages the military prosecution’s case, they will ignore it all the livelong day. Such was the case for a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton until veteran court martial defense attorney Tim Bilecki got involved. The Marine was resourceful, and upon hearing the allegations and knowing they were false, he got experienced counsel from across the country involved early.
Bilecki investigated before charges were preferred and presented the evidence directly to military prosecutors. The witnesses we interviewed described materially different versions of the encounter that the complainant had given before making the formal allegation. That gave the defense a concrete way to test her account while prosecutors were still deciding whether to charge the Marine. No charges were preferred, and he continued his career.
This quick win highlights the importance of getting competent representation involved early in the process. Military prosecutors are always on the hunt for a quick win, and when they see Bilecki involved, they know they have a fight on their hands. In many cases, military prosecutors determine that pursuing the case is just not worth it.
Don’t wait until the court martial. Don’t wait until charges are preferred. Don’t wait because you can be damn well certain the prosecution is seeking to take everything from you, and they started yesterday. This is particularly true when the charges revolve around sexual misconduct. You need to get ready for a fight, and getting Bilecki into that fight early saved this Marine’s career.
Prior results do not predict future outcomes.