NAS Sigonella: The Hub of the Med, in the Shadow of Etna
On the plain below Mount Etna in eastern Sicily, near Catania, Naval Air Station Sigonella is the Hub of the Mediterranean, the forward base from which the Navy flies the P-8A Poseidon on maritime patrol and anti-submarine and reconnaissance missions across the whole theater. It runs across two sites, the airfield and the main support and housing complex, and it is a crossroads for American and allied operations reaching into Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The Sailors and Marines here are the patrol squadrons rotating through, the logistics and support that keep the hub running, and the families with them, many living out among the Sicilian towns, a long way from home with Etna smoking on the horizon.
A serious case on a small island base is the wrong place to gamble on whoever is closest. Defending court martials is the whole of this firm's practice, and the Mediterranean is now a regular part of the work since the move to Tampa. We get on a plane and try the case, because for a contested charge what counts is the lawyer's record, not the distance to Sicily.
The Sergeant Who Took the Guns at Gagliano
The ground here was fought over hard in 1943, and one of the men who fought for it was Sergeant Gerry H. Kisters, in the Allied drive across Sicily. On July 31, 1943, near Gagliano, he and another Soldier went forward ahead of their unit to take out two German machine gun positions holding up the advance. Kisters pushed on alone into heavy fire, took the first gun and its crew, then moved on the second, hit again and again as he closed the distance, and captured it too. He kept going after wounds that would have stopped most men. That refusal to be turned back is the standard we bring to a case at Sigonella.
Why Sailors at Sigonella Bring Us In
We win court martial cases. Military defense is all we do, and Sailors fly us in from all over the world because of our trial record. The military justice system is not built to find the truth; it exists to preserve good order and discipline, and a command on a small, watched island base will make an example of a Sailor to keep the rest in line. A serious case is investigated by NCIS, and for sexual assault and other covered offenses the decision to refer charges to a court martial no longer belongs to your command but goes to an independent Special Trial Counsel. Your detailed counsel from the Defense Service Office may be capable but carries a heavy caseload inside the same system, which is why Sailors serious about winning bring in their own counsel.
UCMJ Charges We Defend at NAS Sigonella
These reflect the cases we see most at NAS Sigonella. If your allegation is different, we still defend it, because we handle every UCMJ charge.
Flight Status and Aviation Boards (UCMJ Article 92). For a designated naval aviator or naval flight officer flying the P-8, an allegation can ground you before it ever reaches a courtroom. A flight discipline matter, a safety incident, a positive test, or any serious charge can pull you off flight status and put your wings in front of a Field Naval Aviator Evaluation Board, which can end your flying career on a standard far below what a court martial requires. For the aircrew and intelligence specialists whose access is the job, the same investigation can suspend the security clearance the assignment depends on, a separate administrative track that runs on what the criminal case finds. We defend the criminal charge and the FNAEB together, because either consequence can end a career on its own.
Sexual Assault and Sex Offenses (UCMJ Article 120 / Article 134). These allegations route to an independent Special Trial Counsel now, and the command treats a report as established before the investigation is finished, all the more so on a small island base where word travels fast. These cases demand counsel who will run an independent investigation and contest the case rather than let the allegation stand in for proof, because a conviction means confinement, a federal record, and a place on a sex offender registry.
Domestic Violence and Assault (UCMJ Articles 128b and 128). Domestic violence under Article 128b is charged as aggressively as any offense in the UCMJ since the Office of Special Trial Counsel took these cases over. It covers a spouse, an intimate partner, or a family member, and it treats strangulation or suffocation as its own charge that the government can bring even with no visible injury. A qualifying conviction also triggers the federal Lautenberg firearms bar, which can end a Navy career because a Sailor has to be able to carry a weapon. We also defend assault under Article 128, where self defense is a recognized defense.
Drugs and Off Duty Conduct (UCMJ Articles 112a and 134). Drug cases often turn on the chain of custody and the government's burden to prove any use was knowing and wrongful. A Sailor is subject to the UCMJ off duty, so a night out in Catania, a weekend up the coast in Taormina, or an incident off base that goes wrong comes back to the command. A serious off base matter in Italy can also be taken up by the Italian carabinieri and prosecuted in an Italian court, on a separate track from your command, so get counsel involved before you talk to anyone.
A Career and a Reputation Worth Defending
Not everyone who calls us from Sigonella is innocent, and we will say so plainly. What matters is how serious the case is, not your rank. If a matter is genuinely minor, your detailed defense counsel can handle it, and we will tell you so honestly. But when the case is serious, everything is on the line at once: your career, your retirement, your good name, and your freedom. A court martial conviction is a federal criminal conviction, and where the sentencing parameters apply the confinement range is set by the offense, two and a half to ten years for sexual assault and ten to twenty for rape, with a departure requiring specific facts in writing, on top of a possible punitive discharge and, for a covered sex offense, sex offender registration. That is why you fight. The court’s jurisdiction and the convicted offense determine which sentencing rules apply; some offenses use separate sentencing criteria rather than these ranges.
If you are facing an investigation or court martial at Sigonella, reach out for a free defense strategy session. We will tell you exactly what you are facing and how we would defend it. The government is already building its case. The only question is whether anyone is building yours.
FAQ
I'm a P-8 aviator at Sigonella and I've been pulled off flight status over an investigation. Can I lose my wings even if I beat the charge?
Yes, because the Field Naval Aviator Evaluation Board and the court martial are separate tracks with separate standards. The FNAEB can act on the same allegation on a far lower standard than a conviction requires, so you can win the criminal case and still lose your aviation career if the board side is not fought. That is why the underlying allegation has to be defended on both fronts from the start, and we handle the criminal charge and the FNAEB together.
NCIS wants to interview me at Sigonella. Do I have to talk to them?
No. You are not required to sit for an NCIS interview or answer their questions. Under Article 31b of the UCMJ you have the right to remain silent and to a lawyer, and you can invoke both at any point, including before the interview begins. NCIS is collecting evidence, not giving you a chance to explain. Decline, ask for counsel, and call a defense lawyer before you give any statement.
Something happened off base in Italy. Could the Italian authorities get involved too?
They can. Under the agreement that governs U.S. forces here, the Italian authorities can claim jurisdiction over off base conduct, so a serious matter can be investigated by the carabinieri and prosecuted in an Italian court on a separate track from the UCMJ case your command is pursuing. Investigations in the two systems may overlap, and what you say to one can affect the other, so do not give a statement to anyone until you have talked to a defense lawyer. The SOFA allocates primary jurisdiction and limits a second trial for the same offense; overlapping investigations do not mean that both countries may freely try the same charge.