False Official Statement at Army Courts-Martial, 2024: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 107 › Army, 2024

Based on 18 cases · 2024 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Contested Cases Were More Common Than Army-Wide

Of the 18 accused, 10 pleaded guilty and 8 contested at least one charge. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, so a mixed plea counts as contested. The contested share of 44% was higher than the 27% for all Army cases in 2024 and higher than the 35% for Article 107 cases in 2023.

All 8 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a conviction on at least one charge. In 2023, 1 of 7 ended in a full acquittal.

Of the 10 guilty pleas, 8 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.

Fewer Punitive Discharges Than in 2023

8 of 17 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 4 bad-conduct and 4 dishonorable. That is 47%, lower than the 72% for all Army cases in 2024 and the 87% for Article 107 cases in 2023.

1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears here, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Year-Over-Year Changes

Cases went from 20 in 2023 to 18 in 2024. The share of convictions with confinement went from 53% to 78%, while the median confinement went from 8 months to 2 months. General courts-martial went from 70% of cases to 56%.

These groups are small. A few cases either way can change the figures, so the changes show direction more than precision.

Short Median Confinement

Of 18 convictions, 14 included confinement. The median confinement was 2 months, shorter than the 6 months for all Army cases in 2024.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, not only the false statement.

Companion Charges

Only 2 of the 18 cases charged Article 107 by itself. Article 128b (domestic violence), Article 121 (larceny), and Article 92 (orders violation) each appeared in 4 cases. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 3, and Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2.

Enlisted Panels, NCOs, and Court Level

A military judge alone decided guilt in 12 of the 18 cases (67%). Members heard 6, and all 6 were enlisted panels. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.

By rank, 7 accused were junior enlisted members, 10 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. This group was more senior than all Army cases in 2024. General courts-martial made up 56% of the 16 cases with a court level listed (9 of 16), and special courts-martial made up the rest. The court level is not listed for 2 cases.

Law Changes Starting in Late 2023

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Both rules depend on the offense date. These records give only trial dates, so the 2024 cases include a mix of cases under the old rules and the new ones.

Limits of This Data

Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. The records do not show nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, the evidence, or the terms of plea agreements.

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.