U.S. Army rangers charged with conspiracy to kill drug dealers
Our law firm was retained last week to represent one of the U.S. Army Rangers in a federal criminal case currently pending in Atlanta, Georgia. The arrest of these soldiers was widely covered by the Atlanta and national media. Here is the story from CNN.
We have not been in the case for very long, so it wouldn't make sense to comment on the facts. But from what we've read in the press and public court records, it appears that the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms) set these soldiers up to commit a crime that the soldiers would never have even imagined had the ATF not been involved. The ATF came up with the idea, and then actively recruited people to join in. Apparently, the ATF did not initially succeed in convincing anyone to do this, so they kept on trying.
There is no dispute that these soldiers all have honorable service records. Our client has absolutely no criminal record, and has served several combat tours. He is well-liked, respected and valued by his fellow soldiers and superior officers. Everyone who knows him has a very hard time believing he would be involved in something like this. So do we.
The charges are very serious - drug conspiracy and firearm offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years and up. But it appears to be a very defensible case from what we know, especially in regards to our client's alleged involvement.
The other soldiers are also represented by capable federal criminal lawyers and well-regarded Atlanta defense attorneys. We are pleased that everyone involved in this case will be defended by an experienced federal lawyer. It is incredibly important to know both the federal rules and the federal sentencing guidelines when defending federal drug and firearms charges. All the defense lawyers in this case have certainly been around the block, and we feel sure they will represent their clients well.
This should be an interesting case, but our ability to cover it in this blog will be limited since we are directly involved. But I expect the Atlanta media will be following any major developments. So stayed tuned.
