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Beyond the headlines of scandalous stories about military members getting in trouble, there are real people whose lives are forever changed. What we see in the news is often far from the truth or slanted to fit a one-sided narrative.

That's why sharing our stories is so important, especially when seeking justice. Join me as I talk to get another attorney who works with service members seeking accountability. Hear the “stories behind the story” on some of his most compelling cases and his suggestions for reforming the military justice system.

Benjamin Beliles is a former Air Force JAG officer and trial lawyer with over 15 years of experience in complex criminal prosecution, civil litigation, defense, appellate work, and internal investigations. He focuses his practice on white-collar crime and complex civil litigation matters and advocates for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military. 

Before entering private practice, Ben served as senior trial counsel for the Special Victims Unit of the U.S. Air Force at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. As the senior prosecutor for the Air Force’s legal offices in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and the U.K., he first-chaired 46 jury trials to verdict. While serving in that role, Ben was named the Special Victims Unit Prosecutor of the Year twice.

Before leaving active duty, Ben served as a federal litigation attorney, defending the agency in employment actions in administrative and federal litigation. In that role, he was designated the Air Force Subject Matter Expert in sexual harassment-based removals of civilian employees.

Notably, Ben successfully prosecuted Lt. Col. James Wilkerson for sexual assault at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The convening authority, Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, threw the verdict out.

That action made the case a lightning rod for change to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Ben was integrally involved in its systemic revision to provide more robust protections for victims of sexual assault.

During the fallout from the case, he served as a frequent media contributor. He suffered extensive reprisal for those who opposed the changes to the military's handling of sexual assault. 

Ben is licensed to practice law in Virginia and is permitted to practice in all military and federal courts, including the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal District of Colorado, and the Central District of Illinois. 

In his free time from his private practice, Ben is also a part-time Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Virginia, focusing on prosecuting sex crimes and domestic abuse. 

Ben graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, one of the top ten law schools in the nation, in 2006 and was commissioned into the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant after completing the University of Virginia’s ROTC program.

Find Ben. 

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