Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota–A potentially career-ending saga finally ended a year later for this 19.5-year NCO, who was fully acquitted after a litigated defense by Veritas Military Law.
This Black NCO was a frequent shopper at a national sporting goods store, spending thousands of dollars over the years, when one day, they found an inventory mismatch. The mistake was tracked down and resolved within a day, but then the military prosecutors decided criminal action was appropriate.
When the employee found another video of this Black NCO attempting to exchange a pair of shoes and the employee failing to ring up the customer properly (unbeknownst to him), the prosecution decided this NCO was a criminal executing “a scheme” to steal from the sporting goods store.
Because he would not admit to a crime he didn’t commit (but he could see how bad the evidence looked), he turned down the offer of Article 15 nonjudicial punishment. When his first trial defense team succeeded in securing a dismissal of the case due to the prosecution’s failed charging scheme, the Government waisted no time, re-preferring and re-referring within a day.
That’s when Veritas Military Law jumped in and went to work. After significant discovery and motions practice, Mr. Tolin and the detailed military counsel displayed an impressive courtroom strategy, lifting the weight from the back of this NCO with a full acquittal.
Now this NCO can get back to the mission, finishing his career on his own terms with his head held high.