Q: Is a court-martial or an administrative hearing appropriate for charges of conduct unbecoming an officer?
Service members who perform their duties in a brave and/or honorable manner often receive awards or commendations in recognition.
But sometimes, alleged conduct unbecoming garners awards, too—such as T-shirts, coins, and other prizes depicting a rooster. At least that’s what Air Force investigators claim a group of 80+ active and retired service members could win after completing “a series of different poses and other acts” related to posting penis pictures and/or videos to a private online group. Now the officer may need a skilled military court-martial defense attorney to defend him against these “suggestive selfie” charges.
Allegedly, during an investigation that spanned the globe, a hard drive containing extensive photos and/or videos of service members belonging to a group going by “Whiskey Delta Tango” was reportedly found in a hollowed-out book in the room of the accused officer who allegedly started the private group before he was commissioned.
He is reportedly facing charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman but is unclear whether he will face a court-martial. The defense asserts the adults-only group was created and operates in a “jovial, joking spirit” and is private, consensual, legal, and intended for the voluntary sharing of penis pictures and or videos taken in “cool “or “funny” locations and situations.
Some of the allegations against the officer reportedly include “solicitation of service members to commit indecent conduct that brought discredit to the Armed Forces” and allegations the officer threatened to share an embarrassing photo of one member if he didn’t send the officer more pictures.
It is possible that the charges could be handled through an administrative hearing rather than a court-martial, depending on how military commanders use their “broad disciplinary discretion”. Military administrative actions can still result in serious consequences and impact your future military career, so it’s important to hire a skilled military administrative action attorney to defend you if you are facing such charges.
If you are, or believe you might be, facing a military court-martial, a military administrative action, or any other military-related charges, you need a skilled civilian military defense attorney like Elkus, Sisson& Rosenstein on your side as soon as possible to aggressively fight for you. Contact us today for a free consultation.
From our offices in Colorado Springs, and Denver, Colorado, we represent service members of all ranks and in all branches anywhere in the world.