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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Chelsea D. Beshore

Counsel of record in 22 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(18 as defense counsel, 4 as trial counsel)
May 2017 to Mar 2023

22Cases
18As defense counsel
4As trial counsel
12Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.1

18Cases
9Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (3 of 9)
44%Partial acquittal, contested cases (4 of 9)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty6 (33%)
  • Not Guilty6 (33%)
  • Mixed Plea*1 (6%)
  • Not Reported5 (28%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone12 (67%)
  • Enlisted Panel6 (33%)

Contested Panel Cases: 6 of 9

  • Enlisted Panel6 of 9
  • Officer Panel0 of 9

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted11 (61%)
  • Partial Acquittal4 (22%)
  • Acquitted3 (17%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone3030
Enlisted Panel6213

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (15 Convictions)

  • BCD8 of 15
  • DD2 of 15
  • No Punitive Discharge5 of 15

No Punitive Discharge

5 of 15 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge5 of 15
67%Punitive discharge, enlisted (10 of 15)
100%Confinement (15 of 15 convictions)
11 moMedian confinement
35.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article6161
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances5350
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3331
Art. 128 Assault3130
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2120
Art. 118 Murder1110
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1110
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1110
Art. 125 Kidnapping1110
Art. 131b Obstructing justice1110
Charges not listed in the record3303

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.7

4Cases
3Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty2 (50%)
  • Not Reported2 (50%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone2 (50%)
  • Officer Panel2 (50%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 3
  • Officer Panel2 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted3 (75%)
  • Acquitted1 (25%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Officer Panel2200

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (2 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 2
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 2

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • No Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 2 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge1 of 2

Member Retained: 1 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal1 of 1
50%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 2)
100%Confinement (3 of 3 convictions)
30 daysMedian confinement
30 daysLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3230
Art. 107 False official statements1010
Art. 134 General article1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Offutt AFB, Nebraska 7
  • Peterson SFB, Colorado 5
  • Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota 2
  • JB Anacostia-Bolling, Washington DC 1
  • Pope AAF, North Carolina 1
  • Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 1
  • Maxwell AFB, Alabama 1
  • Dover AFB, Delaware 1

More Air Force Lawyers

Know Your Judge

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 Chelsea D. Beshor; those cases are counted here.

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