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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Katherine G. Gonsalves

Counsel of record in 19 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(9 as defense counsel, 10 as trial counsel)
Jun 2016 to Jan 2021

19Cases
9As defense counsel
10As trial counsel
12Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.6

9Cases
6Contested
17%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 6)
33%Partial acquittal, contested cases (2 of 6)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty1 (11%)
  • Not Guilty6 (67%)
  • Not Reported2 (22%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone4 (44%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (22%)
  • Officer Panel3 (33%)

Contested Panel Cases: 5 of 6

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 6
  • Officer Panel3 of 6

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted6 (67%)
  • Partial Acquittal2 (22%)
  • Acquitted1 (11%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1010
Enlisted Panel2101
Officer Panel3210

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 8
  • DD3 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge4 of 8

No Punitive Discharge

4 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge4 of 8
50%Punitive discharge, enlisted (4 of 8)
75%Confinement (6 of 8 convictions)
11 moMedian confinement
7.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3322
Art. 128 Assault3130
Art. 134 General article2220
Art. 107 False official statements1010
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances1110
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1110
Art. 121 Larceny1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.9

10Cases
6Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 6)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty5 (50%)
  • Not Reported5 (50%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone5 (50%)
  • Officer Panel5 (50%)

Contested Panel Cases: 5 of 6

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 6
  • Officer Panel5 of 6

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted8 (80%)
  • Acquitted2 (20%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Officer Panel5401

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge7 of 8

No Punitive Discharge

7 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge7 of 8
12%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 8)
75%Confinement (6 of 8 convictions)
2 moMedian confinement
6 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances4440
Art. 111 (former: Drunken or reckless driving)1010
Art. 134 General article1010
Art. 85 Desertion1010
Art. 86 AWOL1010
Charges not listed in the record3212

Judges, Most Cases Together

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Nellis AFB, Nevada 9
  • Osan AB, South Korea 4
  • Scott AFB, Illinois 1
  • JB Lewis-McChord, Washington 1
  • JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii 1
  • Andersen AFB, Guam 1
  • Yokota AB, Japan 1
  • Tyndall AFB, Florida 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.

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