How Army False Official Statement Cases Ended in 2022

Trends › By Offense › Article 107 › Army, 2022

Based on 40 cases · 2022 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

One Full Acquittal in 20 Contested Cases

There were 20 contested cases, in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of those that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. That rate was 5%. Across all Army cases in 2022, the rate was 38%.

Partial acquittals were more common. In 13 cases, the accused was found 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.

In 2022, few contested cases ended without any conviction. More often, a contested case ended in a conviction on some charges and not others, followed by a sentence on the charges that ended in a conviction.

Pleas Divided Evenly

There were 20 guilty pleas and 20 contested cases. The contested share was 50%. That was higher than the 36% for all Army cases in 2022.

Of the 20 guilty pleas, 16 are recorded with a plea agreement and 4 have no entry. The records say whether an agreement existed, not what it provided.

Changes From 2021 to 2022

The number of cases went from 63 in 2021 to 40 in 2022. The contested share went from 25% to 50%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 4 of 16 to 1 of 20. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 64% to 53%. The general court-martial share went from 62% to 74%.

The median confinement was 5 months in both years. Groups this size can change with a few results, so these changes show direction more than precise size.

Confinement and Its Range

Confinement was part of 72% of the 39 convictions. The median confinement was 5 months, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2022. No confinement was part of 11 convictions (28%), higher than the Army figure of 16%.

Long terms were less common. Of 39 convictions, 7 (18%) included more than one year, compared with 27% Army-wide. Terms of 5 years or more were part of 2 convictions. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Sentences at Each Court Level

A general court-martial can adjudge any lawful sentence, while a special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. General courts-martial heard 74% of the 39 cases with a court level listed (29 of 39). The court level is not listed for 1 case.

At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 8 months and 52% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 3 months and 40% were contested.

Discharges and Officer Dismissals

Among 32 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (53%), and 8 of those were dishonorable discharges. For all Army cases in 2022, the share was 76%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Of 7 convicted officers or warrant officers, 3 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

Every Case Had Another Charge

All 40 cases charged at least one other article alongside Article 107. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 13, Article 128 (assault) and Article 134 (general article) in 11 each, and Article 121 (larceny) and Article 81 (conspiracy) in 9 each. A sentence in any of these cases covers all of the findings of guilty, not only Article 107.

Article 120 (sexual assault) was the article most often charged with Article 107, in 13 of the 40 cases.

A More Senior Group of Accused

By rank, 15 accused were junior enlisted, 18 were NCOs, and 7 were officers. That mix is more senior than all Army cases in 2022.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 27 of 39 cases with the forum listed (69%); members decided 12: 10 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. Among contested cases, members decided 11 of 19 (58%).

Fort Hood tried 6 of these cases, and Fort Campbell, Fort Bragg, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord each tried 3. Together they accounted for 45% of the 40 cases.

Outside the Records

The data comes from trial results, which give trial dates, not offense dates. The evidence, the terms of plea agreements, nonjudicial punishment, and administrative separations do not appear in it.

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.