Are you a military service member being suspected of or being investigated for a robbery or burglary? Have you already been charged with robbery or burglary? If you have, your command or military law enforcement agents from NCIS, CID, OSI, or CGIS may be claiming that there is a mountain of evidence against you proving your guilt.

They may be acting as if you are guilty even though the United States Constitution demands that you be presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

Some may be pressuring you to just plead guilty without a fight so you can get a so called “good deal.” You may have even spoken to a free military lawyer supplied by the government that also thinks you should plead guilty even though he may have only spent a few hours, if that, reviewing the evidence in your case.

Just giving up without a fight and quickly pleading guilty may be the worse decision you make in your life.

• Evidence may have been illegally obtained against you or come from informants that are themselves facing UCMJ charges and therefore have a motive to lie. You can’t use this to your advantage if you don’t fight.

• A conviction will likely follow you for life, including a dishonorable discharge or bad conduct discharge, which will be on your DD-214 for employers to see.
• You could wind up sitting in prison for years. All VA benefits are likely to be stripped away and you and your family will have to fend for itself. 

The stakes could hardly be higher for a service member facing robbery or burglary charges. The consequences of a conviction are brutal. If you don’t fight the charges you are facing, you make it easy for military prosecutors. Don’t make it easy for them.

You should have a laser focus on fighting and winning against prosecutors ready to ruin your military career and your life with a conviction. Liebenguth Law is ready to fight for your rights, your military career, and your future. Contact us today to find out how we would investigate, prepare, and defend your case. 

Robbery is defined by Article 122, UCMJ, as follows:

“Any person . . . who takes anything of value from the person or in the presence of another, against his will, by means of force or violence or fear of immediate or future injury to his person or property or to the person or property of a relative or member of his family or of anyone in his company at the time of the robbery, is guilty of robbery and shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.” 

Burglary is covered by Article 129, UCMJ, and includes breaking and entering with the intent to commit a crime like rape, sexual assault, stealing, or any other crime under the UCMJ.

Because of the nature of robbery and burglary offenses, you can expect military prosecutors to come after you with everything it has and then ask for a severe sentence if you’re convicted. They are already preparing to convict you. You need someone preparing to stop them! 

That’s why you need an experienced defense attorney with a track record of fighting and winning. Contact us today to find out how we can help.

Larceny and Wrongful Appropriation

Depending on the circumstances, government prosecutors will often charge service members with larceny or wrongful appropriation offenses in addition to robbery or burglary charges. They usually do this to scare service member’s into being overwhelmed with how many crimes they are being accused of. They also do it if their case is weak on the robbery or burglary allegations.  

If larceny and wrongful appropriation charges have been piled onto your charge sheet, know that we’ve seen this tactic before and know how to handle it.

It’s Rarely Hopeless If You Have the Right Defense Team

Prosecutors and military law enforcement may act as if they have a slam dunk case, but they can absolutely be beaten. Remember, the government has to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and our job is to punch gaping holes in their case.

• The government may see violence or incriminating evidence where none actually exists.

• The government may see witness testimony as helpful when it is actually a huge weakness in its case. 

• Government evidence may be thrown out because of illegal law enforcement conduct or a sloppy investigation.

• We may be able to develop an alibi or discredit eyewitness identification.

But none of these cracks in the government’s case can be found unless a painstakingly thorough investigation is done on your behalf. Inexperienced lawyers or the free military JAG often simply rely on the government’s investigation. This is a recipe for a conviction.  

If you want to find out how you can fight back against the government and the charges you’re facing, call our office today to speak to an experienced military defense attorney. We will evaluate your case and outline a plan for investigating, preparing, and defending your case.

Violent Crime Practice Areas

• Violent Crime Defense
• Murder/Manslaughter
• Aggravated Assault
• Self Defense
• Shaken Baby Injury and Deaths