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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Brian E. Morecraft

Counsel of record in 32 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(18 as defense counsel, 14 as trial counsel)
Jul 2016 to Jan 2020

32Cases
18As defense counsel
14As trial counsel
25Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 10

18Cases
17Contested
12%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 17)
6%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 17)

Pleas When Defending

  • Not Guilty17 (94%)
  • Not Reported1 (6%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone1 (6%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (17%)
  • Officer Panel14 (78%)

Contested Panel Cases: 17 of 17

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 17
  • Officer Panel14 of 17

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted15 (83%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (6%)
  • Acquitted2 (11%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel3300
Officer Panel141112

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (16 Convictions)

  • BCD5 of 16
  • No Punitive Discharge11 of 16

No Punitive Discharge

11 of 16 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge11 of 16
31%Punitive discharge, enlisted (5 of 16)
62%Confinement (10 of 16 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
12 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances1110101
Art. 134 General article3330
Art. 121 Larceny2220
Art. 128 Assault2220
Art. 107 False official statements1110
Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction1101
Art. 111 (former: Drunken or reckless driving)1110
Art. 86 AWOL1110
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer1110
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1110
Charges not listed in the record2202

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 5.1

14Cases
8Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 8)
12%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 8)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty8 (57%)
  • Not Reported6 (43%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone6 (43%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (14%)
  • Officer Panel6 (43%)

Contested Panel Cases: 8 of 8

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 8
  • Officer Panel6 of 8

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted13 (93%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (7%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel2200
Officer Panel6510

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (13 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 13
  • No Punitive Discharge10 of 13

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • No Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

10 of 13 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge10 of 13

Member Retained: 1 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal1 of 1
23%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 13)
64%Confinement (9 of 14 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
4 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances127120
Art. 128 Assault2120
Art. 111 (former: Drunken or reckless driving)1110
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer1101
Art. 134 General article1111
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1110

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona 25
  • Nellis AFB, Nevada 2
  • Beale AFB, California 1
  • Edwards AFB, California 1
  • Incirlik AB, Turkey 1
  • Hill AFB, Utah 1
  • Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota 1

More Air Force Lawyers

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Counsel of record means this lawyer is listed as defense counsel or trial counsel in the public record of the case. Most cases list more than one lawyer on each side, and the records do not say who led or who argued, so the numbers describe cases this lawyer was counsel on, not individual wins or losses. Pages cover military counsel only; civilian counsel appear in lists by name. Percentages are shown for every count, however small, so check the number of cases behind each one. The Army records say whether there was a plea agreement, not what it said; Air Force records do not report plea agreements, and many Air Force records from 2016 to 2020 do not list the plea. In the article tables one case counts under each article charged, and Air Force records rarely list the charges in cases that ended in acquittal (those show as Charges not listed in the record). Member Retained means the sentence did not include a punitive discharge; it does not rule out a later administrative separation. Mixed Plea* means the record lists a guilty plea but the case ended in a partial acquittal, so at least one charge was contested (a mixed plea, or a guilty plea to a lesser offense). Contested cases are those with a not guilty or mixed plea, plus any case that ended in an acquittal or partial acquittal even when the record does not list the plea.

Source: public records of trial published by each service under Article 140a, UCMJ, as collected for the Military Trial Results page (data updated October 29, 2026). Counts reflect only the cases in this data and may be incomplete. Names are shown as published in the source records. The records also write this name as Brian E. Morecraft II, Brian E. Morecraft Jr.; those cases are counted here.

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