You Need An Experienced Court Martial Lawyer When Facing A Court-Martial In Diego Garcia

If you are facing UCMJ charges while stationed in Diego Garcia, you need the guidance of an experienced aggressive military defense lawyer. Cases in a foreign country are often additionally unfair because of the scrutiny placed on them by higher command and due to the local and international media attention. The risk of unlawful command influence (UCI) is even greater when a service member overseas is suspected of a crime. Commanders have a great deal of media and higher command pressure on them to prosecute in these cases and the rights of the accused service member are often only an afterthought. Only the best aggressive military defense lawyer can even the playing field.

The Risks of a Military Court Martial in Diego Garcia

Criminal convictions during your military service can ruin all the awards you have received in your military record so far and end your military career with a punitive or negative discharge. Such a discharge can make it impossible to find employment that is in line with your qualifications even after your military career is over. Even worse, a court-martial conviction without the best possible military defense usually results in significant prison time for you and the loss of financial support for any family you may have. Not only do you lose your freedom but they lose your pay, your BAH and TriCare. To ensure that you mount the best defense when facing a military investigation and court-martial, you need an aggressive, experienced military defense lawyer in Diego Garcia.

Unlike many other defense lawyers, pleading guilty is an option of last resort with Freeburg Litigation. When we take a case, we force the military prosecutors to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. We take nearly every case to trial and fight the allegations in front of a military panel or judge (depending on which is the best tactic for your individual case). Our court martial outcomes speak for themselves. You and your future is our main concern. Our court martial lawyers will work on your case from day one, always fighting aggressively in court martial and administrative separation cases in the U.S. and worldwide. Call today to consult with an experienced military defense lawyer.

Court-Martial Timeline

Why Call Freeburg Litigation, Aggressive UCMJ Lawyers in Diego Garcia?

The experienced military defense lawyers at Freeburg Litigation have earned a reputation for defending service members at military installations worldwide. If you are stationed in Diego Garcia and are suspected of a military crime, then having the most hard-hitting criminal defense lawyer can be the difference between getting convicted or winning your case. Our military criminal defense lawyers represent Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen in both UCMJ and administrative matters to include defending service members accused of sexual assault, murder, rape, child rape, fraud, theft and other offenses under the UCMJ, often receiving full acquittals or an acquittal on all of the serious charges with a very light sentence on the remaining charges.

After trying complex commercial cases in federal court in New York City, Nathan Freeburg entered active duty with the U.S. Army where he deployed to Iraq and practiced as a prosecutor, as a Division Chief of Military Justice, as a military defense attorney and then was handpicked to train and advise Army defense lawyers worldwide for the U.S. Army Defense Counsel Assistance Program. During his time on active duty, Nathan tried or consulted on the most well-known cases in military, some with worldwide recognition and developed an expertise in cross-examining alleged sexual assault victims, law enforcement agents and senior military commanders. Having defended service members for allegations in and out of the U.S., this aggressive Diego Garcia military defense lawyer has extensive experience handling different kinds of charges including sexual assault, murder, theft, rape, child pornography, Article 31, NJP, separation and discharge proceedings. If you are facing any kind of military legal problem, talk to Nathan Freeburg for experienced advice and the best aggressive military defense.

Contacting the Best Diego Garcia Court Martial Lawyer

Service members stationed in Diego Garcia deserve the best military lawyers to represent them at their court martial or administrative separation proceeding.
If you or a family member are stationed in Diego Garcia and are suspected of a military offense such as sex assault or if you are facing an administrative separation, Article 15, show cause board, letter of reprimand or GOMOR, then call our military defense lawyers immediately.

The U.S. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia Courtroom

Sailors and Airmen are tried by court-martial under the UCMJ in Diego Garcia. USNSF Diego Garcia’s status as an OCONUS base increases the number of investigations and potential trials by court-martial and making trials often especially unfair because of the media and higher command visibility, making an experienced civilian military defense lawyer the best option.

At the Diego Garcia courtroom, the deck is stacked against the accused Sailor or Airman. If you are tried at Diego Garcia your lawyers and paralegals will be outnumbered and the commanding admiral or general who sends the case against you to trial will personally pick the members of the jury. As if this isn’t enough, they won’t even have to reach an unanimous verdict to convict you (unlike civilian court). The prosecutors will have all the money for experts and investigators they want but your defense lawyer will have to give your case strategy in order to ask the prosecution to fund your own defense experts (and they can and usually do deny your experts anyway). The prosecutors will work hand in glove with NCIS or OSI to convict you, and NCIS or OSI will refuse to look at any evidence that may show your innocence. Sometimes the prosecutors will add on minor charges like being late to work (called a “Failure to Report” or FTR) just so the Navy or Air Force can say you were convicted, even if you are somehow acquitted on the serious accusations. The prosecutors at Diego Garcia are personally trained by the more than expert civilian and military prosecutors at the Navy’s Code 20 and the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School. In fact, on some cases the Navy or Air Force will even send these prosecutors to Diego Garcia to help prosecute you! Considering all of this, you will not receive a fair trial. Your best chance is a very aggressive, experienced military defense lawyer who does not care about his or her career, but only about winning your case.

How Military Trials Under the UCMJ Began in Diego Garcia

United States Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia (sometimes known as Camp Justice) is located in the central Indian Ocean 1,909 miles off the eastern coast of Tanzania and 1,357 miles south of India. The base is located on a British owned coral atoll known as Diego Garcia. Though technically operated by the US Navy, the base is shared with the US Air Force, which controls all airspace in the surrounding area. Despite the physical ground being owned by the United Kingdom, the base is almost entirely inhabited by American troops and contractors. In December of 1966 the Unite States signed a 50 year lease of the area with the government of the United Kingdom. At the expiration of the lease in 2016, a 20 year extension clause extended the lease until 2036. Though located in a relatively small area, the Diego Garcia facility fills several roles. The installation serves as a support facility for both surface fleets and submarine units in addition supplying regional operations in conjunction with Military Sealift Command. The base is also home to a sophisticated radar, space tracking and communications facility along with a fully operational joint Navy and Air Force airfield.

The area of Diego Garcia was discovered in 1512 by Portuguese explorers who named the area Dom Garcia. Control of the atoll and surrounding islands was taken by the French over the next century, where it would remain for the next 300 years. In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Napoleonic Wars, the area of present day Diego Garcia became a British Colony.

The area was used as a stopover point for ships, a Royal Air Force airfield and a fleet station over the next 150 years. American involvement in the area and trials of service members by court martial began in early 1970, shortly after the US entered the area. Construction of an airfield, harbor and communications center began in 1971, finishing in 1973. Over the next several years a range of international events including the fall of Saigon, international base closures and revolutions forced the United States to negotiate for base expansions. These expansions eventually resulted in the construction of a full fledged US Navy Fleet Station. Expansion of base assets and personnel was furthered as a result of Soviet posts that were established in the late 1970’s. Starting in 1990, the base saw another round of rapid improvement and expansion to the tune of $400 million. Middle Eastern instability necessitated the construction of two exceptionally long (2.3 mile) runways, heavy aircraft storage and maintenance facilities and a large fuel depot. Base facilities expanded greatly, including provisions for investigations and trials under the UCMJ.

Diego Garcia