Serving all 7 continents
Kunsan Air Force Base
Court Martial Defense
At Bilecki Law Group, We believe every service member has earned their right to an aggressive defense on their day in court. We specialize in taking the fight to the prosecution and winning cases that others said were unwinnable.
Fighting Abuse And Misuse Of The UCMJ At Kunsan Air Base
The Korean Peninsula is home to some of the more inexplicable acts of gallantry in American military history. You’ll find men who jumped on grenades, men who made gallant last stands alone and even a General who spent 36 days wandering the Korean countryside on his own. Unfortunately in modern military history, you’ll now find that the Korean peninsula in peacetime is home to some of the gravest abuses of the UCMJ. It is as if without a war to fight, commands focus solely on searching for ways to scare service members into good behavior by ruining the lives of others. This is what we see out of multiple military bases in Korea and Kunsan Air Base is no exception. Making matters worse, service members in Korea find it extremely difficult to find local military court martial defense competent enough to fight back. That’s why countless service members fly renowned attorney Tim Bilecki in from the states and when Bilecki shows up, service members beat the military justice system.
Take The Fight To The Military Justice System Wherever You Can
The Medal of Honor story of the General who spent 36 days walking the Korean peninsula alone is quite the tale. Major General William Dean was in charge of the 24th Infantry Division when the North Koreans came pouring across the border in 1950. During the onslaught and retreat southward by American and South Korean forces, Dean was tasked with holding the line in the city of Taijon until exactly July 20th so that the Pusan Perimeter defense could be completed.
By midday of July 20th, the North Koreans had nearly surrounded the city, but the mission given to Dean was completed. With most of the American forces evacuated out of the city and no division left to command, the General thought he could be of more use taking out tanks. He banded together with a small group of men and began hunting tanks throughout the streets in order to give the rest of the forces time to retreat.
Eventually heading south, himself with the few men left, he fell down a ravine while looking for water and was presumed dead when he didn’t return. Dean awoke from the fall the next morning and realized he was on his own. He would then spend the next 36 days wandering south in hopes of encountering American lines. Having lost 60 pounds, he was eventually undone by a couple of Koreans who posed as friendly but turned him over to North Korean forces.
Major General Dean would spend the next 2 years in captivity, unaware that he had been posthumously awarded the nation’s highest honor. In 1953, he was exchanged as a prisoner at the end of the war and found out that he would be welcomed home a hero. Remarkably, isolated and alone is just how military prosecutors want you to feel when you are facing court martial in South Korea. Posing as friends, military prosecutors will offer you a deal only to turn you over to the worst the military justice system has to offer. Thankfully, you don’t have to do this alone. You can reach out to Bilecki and will be there in Korea to fight by your side.
What UCMJ Charges Can You Help Fight At Kunsan Air Base?
Truthfully, the Korean peninsula has become a home away from home here at Bilecki Law Group as we are routinely called to save service member’s careers. We will absolutely fly all the way to Korea to fight by your side because we know how scary it can be to fight the military justice system alone thousands of miles from home. Below you’ll see just a few of the charges we fight and defend and we think you’ll quickly see that we don’t scare easily.
- UCMJ Article 120 or Article 134 (Sex offenses) – 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.
Airmen and service members can routinely find themselves in perilous circumstances while stationed at Kunsan Air Base due to a combination of boredom, booze, and eros. There is no shortage of bars willing to cater to U.S. service members and despite the South Korean government’s attempt to crack down on prostitution, it is still prevalent and easy to find.
Service members at Kunsan are also suffering from the well-intended and yet, misapplied campaign to root out sexual assault from the military. It has created a culture where allegations are being treated as fact and even when there is not enough evidence for a court martial, adverse administrative action is still being applied.
If you are stationed at Kunsan Air Base and you are facing allegations of sexual misconduct, you need to get experienced counsel by your side now. Don’t until it’s too late because commands are under extreme pressure to show they are tough on this issue. Getting us out to Korea early can make the difference between stopping the unjust process before charges are even preferred. - UCMJ Article 121 (Fraud and Larceny) – We defend cases such as conspiracy to defraud the military, BAH fraud, OHA fraud, extortion, larceny, wrongful appropriation, and more. In our experience, there are cases where a simple administrative error is treated like an international money laundering scheme by military prosecutors.
The reality is that there is no shortage of shady individuals in South Korea looking to take advantage of young service members and it is often the case that the accused service member is the true victim. They were duped and now they are the ones standing tall in front of the UCMJ. Korea also has the highest rates of BAH fraud in the military, we defend these routinely. - UCMJ Article 128 (Assault and Violent Crime) – We represent service members facing charges including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, and cases involving self-defense and defense of another. Now, two service members fighting is a routine affair. When service members engage in fights with locals, it becomes an international incident.
This is unfortunate as quite often, it is a local who will goad a service member into some sort of aggressive act. The service member could have been standing up for another and yet, they are the one in trouble because commands are under pressure to reduce incidents with the local population. The charges can get extremely serious when a makeshift weapon like a beer bottle or pool cue gets involved. - UCMJ Article 112a (Drug Crimes) – 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.
As we mentioned earlier, drugs are illegal and the South Koreans come down fairly hard on drug crimes. If you’ve gotten yourself in trouble with Article 112a charges, you’re going to need experienced counsel that understands the various military and civilian jurisdictions at play here. Getting caught with drugs in South Korea is bad news and you’re going to have to fight to preserve your career, retirement, and freedom. - Punitive Articles of the UCMJ 77-134 (Military Specific Offenses) – These include charges such as fraternization, unauthorized absence (AWOL), disobeying a lawful order, conduct unbecoming an officer, and much more. It is true on most overseas installations, and it is true of Kunsan. The punitive articles are wielded regularly and often in order to maintain order overseas.
Service members who came from a stateside installation can easily find themselves in trouble for behavior that wouldn’t have turned a single command’s head back home. At times, these charges can be downright silly. This is also where prosecutors like to pile on the charges just to make a better example out of you and scare others into compliance.
How To Fight The UCMJ And Win At Kunsan Air Base
Once again, service members and families fly us out to South Korea in order to defend them for a reason. We fight like hell and we win. We understand that in order to secure the best possible outcome against the military justice system, you might fight back. You cannot rely on mercy and, even if you love the military, you can’t coexist with a military justice system that is out to destroy you.
We put together a defense so aggressive that it is almost a sin not to call it an offense. We absolutely destroy the prosecution’s witnesses during cross examination. We find the mistakes that military investigators make during the process and trust us, there is almost always a mistake. Namely, we cede nothing to the prosecution and make them fight for every inch of their case.
Keep in mind, this is true even if you did screw up and make a mistake in violation of the UCMJ. If you are a senior NCO who welcomed the new E-3 to Kunsan by getting a little too friendly with her after hours, you are in trouble. However, if she was into it and you had a consensual night together, you are not a rapist.
It doesn’t matter what charge you are facing, you have to fight back to secure yourself the best possible outcome. You have to fight back because if the military justice system smells an easy win, they will destroy you just to make a public example out of you. You have to fight back and you can reach out to us for a free defense strategy session at any time. Then, as long as you are ready to fight like hell, so are we.
Facing an Allegation?
Contact Bilecki Law Group
Timothy James Bilecki
Military law attorney
- tbilecki@bileckilawgroup.com
- Tampa, FL 33602
Years of Experience
Court Martial Verdicts
Service Members Represented
Miles Traveled
QUESTIONS? WE GOT YOU COVERED
FAQs About Military Court Martial Defense In South Korea
South Korea and the Pacific region has been the target of a relentless assault by military law enforcement in recent years, vastly increasing the number of service members accused of crimes such as fraud, sex offenses, and drug crimes. Other crimes occur less frequently but are still prevalent in the region, including many violent crimes.
Bilecki Law Group defends service members against all offenses under the UCMJ. If you’ve been accused of any crime whatsoever, contact our law offices immediately for a confidential consultation.
Cases bring us to South Korea on a regular basis. Mr. Bilecki has previously lived in Korea and has traveled there over 75 times to defend service members facing courts-martial. Our location in Hawaii allows us to reach you faster than any defense attorney headquartered in the mainland U.S.
“If you play the game by their rules and on their battlefield, you’ve got an exceptionally low chance of winning. Don’t play by their rules. Give them the last thing they were looking for... a FIGHT!”
- Timothy J. Bilecki
your path to legal defense
Get in Touch
- tbilecki@bileckilawgroup.com
- 813-669-3500
- Bilecki Law Group, PLLC, 601 S. Harbour Island BLVD, Suite 109 Tampa, FL 33602