Plenty of Fish Triple Rape
U.S. v. Navy E-5 – Miramar, CA – tried at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA
Allegations: Rape of 3 different women
Max Punishment: 3 Life Sentences, Dishonorable Discharge, Sex offender registration
Result: NOT GUILTY of two out of the three allegations. He was convicted of one allegation. The conviction was overturned on appeal.
Final Result: No conviction, no sex offender registration.
Sentence: The Marine prosecutors demanded 20 years in prison. The jury gave him one year of confinement and a DD, which pleased our client.
Discharge: Rape case overturned on appeal.
Location/Branch/Rank: Miramar, CA – tried at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA/Navy/E-5
Court Martial Summary:
Our client was accused of violently raping three women in four months. He faced life in prison. There was lots of DNA evidence, a confession, and forensics. Our client was accused of finding women on the website Plenty of Fish, luring them to his home, and raping them. The client’s original high-powered attorney, a retired Marine Judge and Colonel, told the client he had “no chance” and would be convicted of all rape charges and get 30 years in prison.
He then negotiated a 5-year “deal of a lifetime.” The client then fired this lawyer and hired our firm. Although our client was the Navy, Mr. Waddington fought the case before a Marine jury.
During the assault, one of the women called a friend, asking her to pick her up because our client assaulted her. She was found running from our client’s home, putting her clothes on, in tears, and with an impacted tampon.
Because our client faced multiple allegations from multiple women, so we decided to scrutinize each alleged victim separately, targeting their character and motives individually. By examining social media and dating profiles, we demonstrated that the women exaggerated their claims of fearing all men after their incident with our client. This evidence significantly undermined their allegations, showing inconsistencies in their behavior and statements.
In addition, our investigation uncovered exculpatory evidence that further questioned the credibility of the two women. It was revealed that they were involved in unrelated schemes, casting doubt on their honesty and motives. These schemes included dishonest activities that showed a pattern of deceit, which we effectively presented during cross-examination.
We successfully weakened the prosecution’s case by meticulously dissecting each alleged victim’s story and providing concrete evidence of their credibility issues. This strategic approach highlighted the inconsistencies and exaggerations in their claims and demonstrated our client’s innocence, ultimately leading to a more favorable outcome in the trial.
