A Navy Petty Officer Third Class was investigated for sexual assault after hooking up and having sex with another Sailor aboard the USS Essex who had been drinking and flirting with him.
After having a brief sexual encounter, the alleged victim repeatedly asked the Petty Officer not to tell any of his or her fellow Sailors that they had hooked up. When he did, she claimed rape.
Her story changed numerous times throughout the investigation. Mr. Bilecki was retained early on as an Article 120 UCMJ sexual assault defense attorney and began investigating the case and speaking with the prosecutors. It turned out that some parts of the sexual encounter were actually captured on video, but NCIS failed to ever obtain the video – which the defense believed would have shown that the entire sexual act was fully consensual.
Based on the sloppy nature of the investigation and the multiple inconsistent stories of the alleged victim, charges were never preferred to a court martial.
Defending Service Members Globally
Wherever Duty Calls, Our Defense Follows