In September 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) reversed the 2015 sexual assault conviction in the Navy case of U.S. v. Barry. At the time, the reason for the reversal as well as the steps to follow in order to complete it seemed questionably and overly complicated. However, the situation only continues to unfold after the CAAF ordered two months later for an investigation into the initial U.S. v. Barry case and guilty ruling.
According to Rear Admiral Patrick Lorge, who approved the Barry’s conviction four years ago, he had been pressured or otherwise intimidated into ruling guilty in U.S. v. Barry. Indeed, he had intended to find Barry innocent until the intervention of other authority figures in the Navy: Nanette DeRenzi and James Crawford III, who were at the time a Judge Advocate General of the Navy Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral, respectively. Rear Admiral Lorge’s admission has tipped the CAAF into action in the form of an in-depth investigation.
In a recently-released affidavit and statement, Lorge described a pervading environment of peer pressure and expectations to find military criminal defendants guilty in sexual assault cases, regardless of the given evidence. He noted that there was a shadow cast over the military justice system that created a fear of public hatred if sexual assault defendants were ruled innocent. He went on to say that without “the pressures […], I would have disapproved the findings in this case.”
The CAAF has stated an independent military judge, who has no ties to the Marine Corps or the Navy, will be conducting the investigation into the U.S. v. Barry case. The anonymous investigator will have one year to research and come to a decision. It is possible Barry’s conviction could be reversed based on the pending findings.
(For more information about this ongoing story, you can click here to view a full article from NavyTimes.)
MILITARY CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY NOT AFRAID TO FIND THE TRUTH
With Rear Admiral Lorge’s admission of corruption and undue influence leading him to rule guilty for U.S. v. Barry, the integrity of the entire military criminal justice system must be brought into question, especially for similar cases that occurred around the same time. It is entirely possible that many other military service members in the Navy and other branches of the Armed Forces were convicted merely due to sociopolitical pressures, not evidential facts. Now more than ever, it is crucial for service members accused of serious crimes or facing military court martial to retain the representation of an experience, hard-hitting legal defender.
Attorney Joseph L. Jordan is ready to stand up for your rights and demand fairness and integrity from a military criminal justice system that might otherwise be tilted out of your favor. From Article 120 crimes to drug crime accusations, he has the know-how and knowledgeability needed to shield you. He and his legal team proudly serve military service members from all branches of the Armed Forces and at bases all around the globe.
Get Military Criminal Defense Attorney Joseph Jordan on your side today. Call (866) 624-7503 or use an online contact form at your first opportunity.
