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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Thomas Di Salvi

Counsel of record in 19 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(14 as defense counsel, 5 as trial counsel)
Jan 2023 to Apr 2026

19Cases
14As defense counsel
5As trial counsel
4Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.9

14Cases
4Contested
0%Acquitted, contested cases (0 of 4)
75%Partial acquittal, contested cases (3 of 4)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty10 (71%)
  • Not Guilty4 (29%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement10 (71%)
  • No plea agreement3 (21%)
  • Not reported1 (7%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone12 (86%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (7%)
  • Officer Panel1 (7%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 4

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 4
  • Officer Panel1 of 4

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted10 (71%)
  • Partial Acquittal3 (21%)
  • No Result Posted1 (7%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2020
Enlisted Panel1000
Officer Panel1010

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (11 Convictions)

  • BCD6 of 11
  • DD2 of 11
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 11

Officers and Warrant Officers (2 Convictions)

  • No Dismissal2 of 2

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 11 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement2 of 3
  • No plea agreement1 of 3

Member Retained: 2 of 2 Officer Convictions

  • Plea agreement1 of 2
  • No plea agreement1 of 2
73%Punitive discharge, enlisted (8 of 11)
62%Confinement (8 of 13 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
3.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128b Domestic violence7161
Art. 134 General article4140
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation4140
Art. 128 Assault3130
Art. 107 False official statements2211
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer2120
Art. 80 Attempts2212
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer2020
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1101
Art. 131b Obstructing justice1101
Charges not listed in the record1100

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 0

5Cases
0Contested
—Acquitted, contested cases (none)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty5 (100%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement5 (100%)
  • No plea agreement0 (0%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone5 (100%)

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted5 (100%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

No contested cases

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (5 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 5
  • DD2 of 5

No Punitive Discharge

0 of 5 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge0 of 5
100%Punitive discharge, enlisted (5 of 5)
80%Confinement (4 of 5 convictions)
1.3 yrsMedian confinement
2.2 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128b Domestic violence2020
Art. 134 General article2020
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1010
Art. 130 Stalking1010

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Fort Hood 12
  • Fort Drum 5
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston 1
  • Fort Bliss 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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