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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Ryan E. Rico

Counsel of record in 16 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(8 as defense counsel, 8 as trial counsel)
Feb 2022 to Oct 2025

16Cases
8As defense counsel
8As trial counsel
5Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.8

8Cases
2Contested
100%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 2)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty6 (75%)
  • Not Guilty2 (25%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement6 (75%)
  • No plea agreement2 (25%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone8 (100%)

Contested Panel Cases: 0 of 2

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 2
  • Officer Panel0 of 2

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted6 (75%)
  • Acquitted2 (25%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2002

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (6 Convictions)

  • BCD6 of 6

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 6 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge0 of 6
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (6 of 6)
83%Confinement (5 of 6 convictions)
6 moMedian confinement
7 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article4131
Art. 128b Domestic violence2020
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1101
Art. 80 Attempts1101
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1010

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.2

8Cases
3Contested
67%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty5 (62%)
  • Not Guilty3 (38%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement5 (62%)
  • No plea agreement3 (38%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone5 (62%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (38%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 3
  • Officer Panel0 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted6 (75%)
  • Acquitted2 (25%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel3102

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (6 Convictions)

  • BCD5 of 6
  • DD1 of 6

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 6 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge0 of 6
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (6 of 6)
100%Confinement (6 of 6 convictions)
9 moMedian confinement
9.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128 Assault4322
Art. 134 General article3030
Art. 119b Child endangerment1010
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1101
Art. 128b Domestic violence1010
Art. 82 Soliciting1010
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer1010
Art. 91 Insubordinate conduct toward NCO1010
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Fort Bragg 8
  • Vilseck (Europe) 7
  • Fort Knox 1

More Army 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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