Court Martial Appeals Blog

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces recently issued a decision in United States v. Keago. Midshipman Keago was charged with attempted sexual assault, sexual assault, burglary, and obstruction of justice related to the alleged sexual assaults of three other midshipmen from the US Naval Academy. He was found guilty of these offenses and … Read more

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals recently decided the case of United States v. Colletti. SSgt Colletti executed a scheme to get women to send him nude pictures of themselves. His plan consisted of posing as “Jenicae” and her girlfriend “Nicki.” Operating as these two personas, SSgt Colletti was able to get two different … Read more

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) recently decided the case of United States v. Palik. TSgt Palik was court-martialed over several charges involving domestic assault of his girlfriend, a fellow Airman. He was convicted of two specifications of assault consummated by a battery and one specification of domestic violence by strangulation. He … Read more

In 2009, Army Major Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, walked into a Soldier Readiness Processing Center on Fort Hood, Texas and opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun equipped with laser sights. He killed thirteen people and wounded thirty-one others. The attack ended when he was shot by responding law enforcement. As a result of his … Read more

In February 2020, SSgt Flanner, USMC, was deployed to Kuwait as a contracting officer. He submitted four purchase vouchers for more than $30,000 for payment during that month. The Government claimed that they were fraudulent and NCIS opened an investigation into SSgt Flanner in May 2020. In May 2021, NCIS brought SSgt Flanner in for … Read more

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals recently decided the case of United States v. Salinas. Petty Officer Second Class Salinas was convicted of attempted sexual assault and assault with intent to commit sexual assault. The two offenses were charged in the alternative, so PO2 Salinas was only sentenced on the attempted sexual assault offense. … Read more

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals recently decided the case of United States v. Harborth. Chief Harborth and his wife were having an argument over her suspicion that he was having an affair. The Chief’s wife asked to see his cell phone and he began to delete pictures from the phone. The Chief’s stepdaughter … Read more

The military justice system has drawn criticism over the years due to the role that commanders historically played in deciding which cases went to trial. This criticism has been heightened in recent years as Congress has sought to address issues regarding the handling of military sexual assault allegations. The FY22 NDAA included Congress’s attempt to … Read more

The Army Court of Criminal Appeals recently reversed a guilty finding for rape in the case of United States v. NievesVele. PV2 NievesVele was convicted of rape and sentenced to 14 years confinement, a dishonorable discharge, and reduction to E-1. At trial, the alleged victim testified that PV2 NievesVele had committed forcible penetration without consent. … Read more

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals recently decided the case of United States v. Nina. LCpl Nina was investigated for the introduction, possession, and distribution of LSD aboard Camp Pendleton, California. When he was interviewed, LCpl Nina admitted his crimes and named the Marines to whom he distributed the LSD, as well as the … Read more