False Official Statement at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 107 › Army, 2021

Based on 63 cases · 2021 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas

Among the 63 cases, 47 were guilty pleas and 16 were contested. A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, so a mixed plea counts as contested. The 25% contested share was lower than the 36% for the Army as a whole in 2021.

Almost every guilty plea had a plea agreement. Of the 47 guilty pleas, 46 are recorded with an agreement, and 1 has no entry. Army records note only whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

Results in Contested Cases

Of the 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. Another 11 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals appear in the records.

The full-acquittal rate of 25% was lower than the 35% for all Army cases in 2021. With only 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, a few results can change that rate noticeably.

Partial acquittals were more common than full acquittals: 11 of the 16 contested cases that reached a verdict. In a partial acquittal, the sentence covers only the charges that ended in a conviction.

Terms Under 6 Months Were Typical

Of 59 convictions, 46 included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, compared with 6 months across the Army. Terms under 6 months were the most common, in 26 convictions (44%), compared with 37% Army-wide.

Terms of more than one year were part of 11 of 59 convictions (19%), compared with 26% for all Army cases. Terms of 5 years or more were part of 2 convictions. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

General Versus Special Courts-Martial

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, while a special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. Of these cases, 39 were general and 24 were special courts-martial. The general court-martial share of 62% was lower than the 73% for the Army overall.

At general courts-martial, 86% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 6 months. At special courts-martial, 64% did, and the median was 3 months.

Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. The 2 sentences of 5 years or more therefore came from general courts-martial.

Discharges and Dismissals

For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. For officers, the equivalent is a dismissal. Here, 35 of 55 convicted enlisted members received one: 25 bad-conduct discharges and 10 dishonorable discharges. Across all Army cases in 2021, the share was 70%.

Of 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, all 4 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge can still be followed by an administrative separation, which these records do not show.

Article 107 Was Usually Charged With Other Articles

Only 2 of the 63 cases charged Article 107 by itself. Article 128 (assault) appeared alongside it in 16 cases, Article 134 (general article) in 15, Article 112a (drug) in 14, and Article 121 (larceny) and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 13 each.

Each sentence covers every charge in the case, so the sentences above are not sentences for the false statement alone.

Panels, Rank, and Bases

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 56 cases. Members decided 7 (11%): 6 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Army-wide, members decided 22%. Among contested cases, members decided 7 of 16 (44%).

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 54% of the accused, NCOs 40%, and officers 6%. Across the Army in 2021, junior enlisted members were 58%.

Fort Bliss tried 8 of these cases, Fort Hood and Fort Campbell 7 each, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 4, and Fort Wainwright 3. Together they accounted for 46% of the total. Large installations try more cases of every kind.

Why 2021 Is the Starting Point

The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020, and Army records in this data are sparse before 2021. That makes 2021 the first full year available for comparison.

The records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not include offense dates, the evidence, plea terms, or any conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative action.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 107 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.