These cases can include rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, sexual assault of a minor, indecent viewing, indecent recording, forcible pandering, indecent exposure, and other Article 120 and Article 120(c) offenses. Marines like to fight, drink, and well, they like the ladies and the ladies tend to like them back. We think it’s the Dress Blues, but who knows.
Unfortunately, all it takes is an allegation to ruin a career and take a good Marine out of the fight. Whereas all victims of sexual assault deserve justice, prosecuting an innocent Marine is not justice. If you are innocent, you need to fight like 15 year old Jack Lucas would fight any grown man that disrespected him. If you have been wrongfully charged, we can’t say it enough, you need to fight.
We defend cases such as conspiracy to defraud the military, BAH fraud, OHA fraud, extortion, larceny, wrongful appropriation, and more. By every definition of the word, Jack Lucas committed fraud in order to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. In fact, the only reason the Marines kept him in Hawaii when his age was discovered was because he told them that he would enlist in the Army when they sent him home.
Fraud or allegations of fraud can often start off as something well intentioned. The most common type of fraud we see is BAH fraud and this too can come from a place of just wanting to provide better for one’s family. There is always a broader story behind every allegation of fraud and you would do well to ensure your full story is heard.
We represent service members facing charges including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, and cases involving self-defense and defense of another. There is no part of Lucas’ story more fascinating than the fact that at the age of 15, he was running around Hawaii beating the mess out of grown men. It would have been a national tragedy if Lucas never got his chance to do his worst on the enemy.
That being said, Marines in modernity can wind up facing some fairly serious charges when a bar scuffle gets out of hand. Someone calls one Marine a POG, the other takes offense and before you know it, someone grabs a beer bottle or pool cue and it gets out of control. Marines like to fight and we firmly believe that a bar fight should not keep a good Marine out of this nation’s fight when we need them most.
We defend cases involving drug possession, drug distribution, drug importation, drug manufacturing, drug trafficking, positive urinalysis cases, tampering with urinalysis cases, and more. These cases often involve illegal controlled substances such as marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, molly, opioids, analogues, and more.
Young men and women join the Marine Corps early in life and though Lucas holds the record at 14, many are just 17 or 18. As such, young Marines are still going to have to make difficult decisions regarding the temptation of controlled substances. Most of the time, they make the right call. Other times, they make a poor choice. Our position is to keep that Marine in uniform and in the fight. If we have to go to trial by court martial to do so, we are eager and willing.
These include charges such as fraternization, unauthorized absence (AWOL), disobeying a lawful order, conduct unbecoming an officer, and much more. As it pertains to this category, it is easier to ask what punitive article of the UCMJ that Lucas didn’t break.
Once again, there is a story behind every incidence of UA. There is a reason why a lawful order was not obeyed and if an officer exhibits conduct unbecoming, there is likely a story there too. We believe that every Marine is more than the sum of charges levied against them. We believe, like Lucas, some Marines just want to be in the fight.