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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Dainec P. Stefan

Counsel of record in 33 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(15 as defense counsel, 18 as trial counsel)
Jul 2018 to Jun 2024

33Cases
15As defense counsel
18As trial counsel
17Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 3.1

15Cases
5Contested
20%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 5)
40%Partial acquittal, contested cases (2 of 5)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty10 (67%)
  • Not Guilty5 (33%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone11 (73%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (13%)
  • Officer Panel2 (13%)

Contested Panel Cases: 4 of 5

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 5
  • Officer Panel2 of 5

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted12 (80%)
  • Partial Acquittal2 (13%)
  • Acquitted1 (7%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1010
Enlisted Panel2110
Officer Panel2101

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (14 Convictions)

  • BCD5 of 14
  • DD4 of 14
  • No Punitive Discharge5 of 14

No Punitive Discharge

5 of 14 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge5 of 14
64%Punitive discharge, enlisted (9 of 14)
86%Confinement (12 of 14 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
5.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances7170
Art. 128 Assault5150
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3330
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle1110
Art. 115 Communicating threats1010
Art. 128b Domestic violence1010
Art. 131b Obstructing justice1010
Art. 134 General article1110
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2

18Cases
12Contested
42%Acquitted, contested cases (5 of 12)
8%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 12)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty5 (28%)
  • Not Guilty11 (61%)
  • Not Reported2 (11%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (39%)
  • Enlisted Panel7 (39%)
  • Officer Panel2 (11%)
  • Not Reported2 (11%)

Contested Panel Cases: 9 of 12

  • Enlisted Panel7 of 12
  • Officer Panel2 of 12

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted12 (67%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (6%)
  • Acquitted5 (28%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2101
Enlisted Panel7403
Officer Panel2101
Not Reported1010

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (13 Convictions)

  • BCD6 of 13
  • DD6 of 13
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 13

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 13 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge1 of 13
92%Punitive discharge, enlisted (12 of 13)
85%Confinement (11 of 13 convictions)
10 moMedian confinement
3.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault4340
Art. 128b Domestic violence4340
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3230
Art. 128 Assault2120
Art. 134 General article2120
Art. 119b Child endangerment1010
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1110
Art. 86 AWOL1101
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer1110
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1010
Charges not listed in the record5505

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Hill AFB, Utah 5
  • Keesler AFB, Mississippi 3
  • Tinker AFB, Oklahoma 2
  • Vandenberg SFB, California 2
  • Scott AFB, Illinois 2
  • Edwards AFB, California 2
  • Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona 2
  • Holloman AFB, New Mexico 2

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 Daniec P. Stefan; those cases are counted here.

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