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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Riley E. Vann

Counsel of record in 16 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(13 as defense counsel, 3 as trial counsel)
Jun 2024 to Aug 2026

16Cases
13As defense counsel
3As trial counsel
5Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.9

13Cases
3Contested
100%Acquitted, contested cases (3 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty8 (62%)
  • Not Guilty2 (15%)
  • Not Reported3 (23%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone11 (85%)
  • Officer Panel2 (15%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 3
  • Officer Panel2 of 3

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted10 (77%)
  • Acquitted3 (23%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone1001
Officer Panel2002

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (10 Convictions)

  • BCD5 of 10
  • DD3 of 10
  • No Punitive Discharge2 of 10

No Punitive Discharge

2 of 10 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge2 of 10
80%Punitive discharge, enlisted (8 of 10)
90%Confinement (9 of 10 convictions)
4 moMedian confinement
6.2 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances4131
Art. 115 Communicating threats3030
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation3121
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2111
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2020
Art. 128b Domestic violence2020
Art. 134 General article2020
Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images1010
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1010
Art. 128 Assault1010

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.9

3Cases
2Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 2)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty1 (33%)
  • Not Guilty2 (67%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone1 (33%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (67%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 2

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 2
  • Officer Panel0 of 2

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted3 (100%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel2200

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (3 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 3
  • DD1 of 3

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 3 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge0 of 3
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 3)
100%Confinement (3 of 3 convictions)
7 moMedian confinement
1.2 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 119a Death or injury of an unborn child1110
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1110
Art. 128b Domestic violence1010

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina 5
  • JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia 3
  • Tinker AFB, Oklahoma 3
  • JB Lewis-McChord, Washington 1
  • Shaw AFB, South Carolina 1
  • Eglin AFB, Florida 1
  • Robins AFB, Georgia 1
  • Offutt AFB, Nebraska 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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