When Army Accused Plead Guilty to Indecent Recording And Exposure
The records show 35 Army courts-martial from 2021 through 2025 in which the accused pleaded guilty and the charges included Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure). The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 5 months in all Army guilty pleas.
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Short answer: The records show 35 Army courts-martial from 2021 through 2025 in which the accused pleaded guilty and the charges included Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure). The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 5 months in all Army guilty pleas. 93% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 75% in all Army guilty pleas.
Confinement After a Guilty Plea
This post covers only guilty pleas where Article 120c, which covers indecent recording, broadcasting, and exposure, was among the charges. In this group, almost every conviction included confinement, and the median confinement was higher than in all Army guilty pleas.
94% of the 35 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 5 months in all Army guilty pleas. A quarter of the sentences were 2.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Sentence Lengths
15 of 35 convictions (43%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 24% in all Army guilty pleas. 26% of these convictions were sentenced to more than 1 year and under 5 years, compared with 17%. 6 convictions (17%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, compared with 6%.
Shorter sentences were less common. 2 convictions (6%) had no confinement, compared with 14%. 29% were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 44%. 23% were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year, compared with 18%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army guilty pleas in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 2 | 6% | 14% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 29% | 44% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 23% | 18% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9 | 26% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 17% | 6% |
Discharges for Enlisted Members and Officers
27 of 29 convicted enlisted members received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (93%), compared with 75% in all Army guilty pleas. 8 of those 27 were dishonorable discharges.
5 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and 3 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Other Charges in the Same Cases
9 of the 35 cases charged Article 120c by itself. The most common other charges were Article 80 (attempt) in 8 cases, Article 134 (the general article) in 6, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 5, Article 128 (assault) in 5, and Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2.
A sentence covers every charge in the case. A case with a sexual assault or attempt conviction is counted here along with a case with a single recording or exposure specification. The records do not split a sentence by charge.
Court Level and Forum
29 of the 35 cases were general courts-martial (83%), compared with 66% in all Army guilty pleas. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
A military judge alone decided all 35 cases, and no panel is recorded. Most guilty pleas are heard by a military judge alone.
Rank of the Accused
Army records do not show the terms of plea agreements. Any cap on confinement in an agreement does not appear in the adjudged sentences above. The sentence actually served can be lower than the adjudged sentence.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 62% of the accused, NCOs 24%, and officers 15%. In all Army guilty pleas in those years, junior enlisted members were 60%, so the rank mix was similar.
Timing, Location, and the Covered-Offense Rules
The cases were tried from January 2021 to November 2025: 10 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 6 in 2023, 11 in 2024, and 5 in 2025. Fort Hood (7), Joint Base Lewis-McChord (5), Fort Bliss (4), Fort Knox (4), and Wheeler Army Airfield (3) had the most cases. Together they account for 66% of the 35 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense.
Article 120c is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. Trials from 2024 on therefore include old-rule and new-rule cases. The records cannot show whether either change affected these pleas.
Gaps in the Trial Records
The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. They do not include cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120c on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial tried 2021–2025: where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) (35 cases), compared with all Army guilty pleas in those years.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 120c (Other Sexual Misconduct): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Sentences (hub)
- Fewer or More? Indecent Recording And Exposure Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025
- Article 120c Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- Not Guilty Pleas in Army Article 120c Cases: What Happened at Trial
- Guilty Pleas in Air Force Indecent Recording And Exposure Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (another service)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 120c in the Navy-Marine Corps: What Sentences Followed? (another service)
- Article 120c explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.