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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Matthew E. Faust

Counsel of record in 21 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(13 as defense counsel, 8 as trial counsel)
Nov 2020 to Sep 2026

21Cases
13As defense counsel
8As trial counsel
8Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.3

13Cases
5Contested
40%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 5)
20%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 5)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty8 (62%)
  • Not Guilty4 (31%)
  • Mixed Plea1 (8%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement8 (62%)
  • No plea agreement4 (31%)
  • Not reported1 (8%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone9 (69%)
  • Enlisted Panel4 (31%)

Contested Panel Cases: 4 of 5

  • Enlisted Panel4 of 5
  • Officer Panel0 of 5

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted10 (77%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (8%)
  • Acquitted2 (15%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Enlisted Panel4211

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (10 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 10
  • DD5 of 10
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 10

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • No Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 10 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement3 of 3
  • No plea agreement0 of 3

Member Retained: 1 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • Plea agreement1 of 1
  • No plea agreement0 of 1
70%Punitive discharge, enlisted (7 of 10)
91%Confinement (10 of 11 convictions)
3.5 yrsMedian confinement
lifeLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault4322
Art. 134 General article4231
Art. 128b Domestic violence3131
Art. 107 False official statements2120
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2220
Art. 121 Larceny2111
Art. 85 Desertion2020
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer2212
Art. 106a Wearing unauthorized insignia1010
Art. 111 Leaving scene of vehicle accident1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 0.5

8Cases
3Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 3)
67%Partial acquittal, contested cases (2 of 3)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty5 (62%)
  • Mixed Plea2 (25%)
  • Mixed Plea*1 (12%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement2 (25%)
  • No plea agreement0 (0%)
  • Not reported6 (75%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone6 (75%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (25%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 3
  • Officer Panel0 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted5 (62%)
  • Partial Acquittal2 (25%)
  • No Result Posted1 (12%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1010
Enlisted Panel2110

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (7 Convictions)

  • BCD1 of 7
  • DD5 of 7
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 7

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 7 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement0 of 1
  • No plea agreement0 of 1
  • Not reported1 of 1
86%Punitive discharge, enlisted (6 of 7)
100%Confinement (7 of 7 convictions)
2.1 yrsMedian confinement
8.3 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article4240
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3130
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2220
Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment2220
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1111
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1010
Art. 128 Assault1111
Art. 128b Domestic violence1010
Charges not listed in the record1000

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Joint Base Lewis-McChord 9
  • Fort Stewart 7
  • Fort Irwin 2
  • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson 2
  • Kaiserslautern (Europe) 1

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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.

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