It may very well be the case that the tape doesn’t lie, but when you are caught on tape in violation of the UCMJ, you still deserve the absolute best military court martial defense. Many military court martial defense attorneys will run from some cases because they know the probability of a loss is high, and they are looking to pad their stats. Tim Bilecki is not your average military court martial defense attorney.
Bilecki took the case because he knew there was still a route to secure the best possible outcome for the client. In this case, a Soldier’s brawl was getting ready to put a Staff Sergeant through a grueling court martial where the prosecution had no intention of showing the SSG mercy. Bilecki had other plans, and the SSG’s future was pulled from the looming abyss.
The SSG was out in the “Ville” just outside of Camp Humphreys when conflict with a PV2 ensued. Now, a good time can easily be found in the Ville, but you can be certain that trouble with the UCMJ is usually not far behind. In this case, the SSG struck the PV2 in the face, and a brawl ensued, where several other military service members joined the fray. Unfortunately for the SSG, the brawl was recorded on an iPhone.
A second episode unfolded on the base where the SSG was alleged to have hit a Sergeant on the head with a glass bottle during a gathering at the base’s ‘Super Gym.’ It was said that the SGT was interacting in a compromising way with our client’s girlfriend. Again, this incident was recorded. The charges were compounded by the fact that the SGT sustained physical injuries, including a forehead laceration, fractured orbital floor and damage to his eyesight. Making matters worse, it was then found out that our client failed to disclose prior arrests during his enlistment which led to charges of fraudulent enlistment.
Now, clearly, our client is not in the running for Soldier of the Year, and he was battling certain demons and not winning that fight. The SSG was even on TikTok making threats to others, which was less than helpful for the defense. The real question at hand was whether destroying his life would be of any benefit to him. Moreover, because our justice system depends on the accused receiving a competent defense, he deserved nothing but the best Bilecki had to offer.
Bilecki was able to show that the threats were directed toward unknown individuals and were not oriented toward any of the parties involved. The prosecution tried to tie them to the case, but Bilecki fought them at every turn and showed that the videos did not contribute anything of substance to the prosecution’s case. In addition, Bilecki was able to bring into doubt the nature of the injuries sustained by those involved and whether they could be directly tied to our client.
Watching the prosecution’s face when they realized Bilecki was ready to fight like hell for what they thought was a slam dunk conviction was priceless. The result of Bilecki’s tenacity and mastery of the military justice system resulted in our client receiving only a discharge and all charges withdrawn. Let that sink in for a moment. Our client was on video committing the acts of violence, and he walked away with zero charges, thanks to Bilecki. The discharge was the best course of action for our client, and admittedly, the Army may be better off as well.
This is why you must fight, and you must get competent military court martial defense on your side. This is true even if you did mess up and true even if you feel like the prosecution has you dead to rights. You can still secure for yourself the best possible outcome given the circumstances, but you will have to fight for it. If you are staring down the barrel of a military court martial, reach out to Bilecki and get him into the fight.
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