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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Rebecca J. Saathoff

Counsel of record in 19 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(16 as defense counsel, 3 as trial counsel)
Nov 2016 to Jan 2023

19Cases
16As defense counsel
3As trial counsel
16Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.1

16Cases
13Contested
54%Acquitted, contested cases (7 of 13)
23%Partial acquittal, contested cases (3 of 13)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty3 (19%)
  • Not Guilty13 (81%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone5 (31%)
  • Enlisted Panel8 (50%)
  • Officer Panel3 (19%)

Contested Panel Cases: 11 of 13

  • Enlisted Panel8 of 13
  • Officer Panel3 of 13

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted6 (38%)
  • Partial Acquittal3 (19%)
  • Acquitted7 (44%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2011
Enlisted Panel8314
Officer Panel3012

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 8
  • DD4 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge1 of 8

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

1 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge1 of 8

Member Retained: 0 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal0 of 1
88%Punitive discharge, enlisted (7 of 8)
78%Confinement (7 of 9 convictions)
1.5 yrsMedian confinement
5.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault5552
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3130
Art. 128 Assault2120
Art. 131b Obstructing justice1101
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer1110
Art. 82 Soliciting1010
Art. 87b Offenses against correctional custody1110
Charges not listed in the record7707

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 3

3Cases
3Contested
67%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 3)
33%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 3)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty2 (67%)
  • Not Reported1 (33%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone1 (33%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (33%)
  • Officer Panel1 (33%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 3
  • Officer Panel1 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Partial Acquittal1 (33%)
  • Acquitted2 (67%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1010
Enlisted Panel1001
Officer Panel1001

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (1 Conviction)

  • DD1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 1 Enlisted Conviction

  • No punitive discharge0 of 1
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (1 of 1)
100%Confinement (1 of 1 convictions)
7.0 yrsMedian confinement
7.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1110
Charges not listed in the record2202

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

  • Jon W. Anderson 4
  • Abbi M. Jankowski 2
  • Andrew J. Paulson 2
  • Ashley N. Davenport 2
  • Dainec P. Stefan 2
  • Taylor N. Brown 2
  • Carlos Cueto Diaz 1
  • Casey J. Groher 1

Where

  • Nellis AFB, Nevada 4
  • Aviano AB, Italy 3
  • Malmstrom AFB, Montana 2
  • Creech AFB, Nevada 2
  • JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska 1
  • Hill AFB, Utah 1
  • Edwards AFB, California 1
  • Luke AFB, Arizona 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 Rebbeca J. Saathoff; those cases are counted here.

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