How Army Larceny Cases Ended in 2022
The Army tried 38 courts-martial charging Article 121 (larceny) in 2022. The median confinement was 3 months, against 6 months for all Army cases, and 21% of cases were contested, against 36% Army-wide.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 121 › Army, 2022
Short answer: The Army tried 38 courts-martial charging Article 121 (larceny) in 2022. The median confinement was 3 months, against 6 months for all Army cases, and 21% of cases were contested, against 36% Army-wide. 79% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, slightly higher than the 76% for the Army.
Most Sentences Were Under 6 Months
35 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 31 of those sentences included confinement (89%). The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2022. A quarter of the sentences were 8 months or longer.
22 convictions (63%) were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 41% Army-wide. 3 convictions (9%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, close to the 7% for the Army. In all, 6 of 35 convictions (17%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 27%.
Each figure is an adjudged sentence, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 11% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 22 | 63% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 9% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 9% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 9% | 7% |
More Punitive Discharges Than in 2021
79% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 18 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. In 2021, the share for larceny cases was 64%. The Army-wide share in 2022 was 76%.
6 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and 2 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.
In this group, the median confinement was lower than for the Army, and the share of enlisted members with a punitive discharge was higher.
What Changed Since 2021?
The number of cases went from 41 in 2021 to 38 in 2022. The median confinement went from 5 months to 3 months. The share of convictions with any confinement went from 71% to 89%. General courts-martial went from 49% to 68% of cases.
The contested share moved from 15% to 21%, and full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 0 of 6 to 3 of 8. In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage, so these changes show direction, not precise size.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 41 | 38 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 15% | 21% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 6 | 3 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 71% | 89% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 64% | 79% |
| General courts-martial | 49% | 68% |
Pleas and Plea Agreements
Contested cases made up 21% of those with a plea recorded: 8 not-guilty or mixed pleas and 30 guilty pleas. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.
Of the 30 guilty pleas, 28 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.
General and Special Courts-Martial
A general court-martial can adjudge any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. This group had 25 general and 12 special courts-martial, with the level not listed for 1 case.
At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 4 months, and 32% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median confinement was 2 months, and 0% of cases were contested.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. The 6 convictions with more than one year were therefore at general courts-martial.
Other Charges in the Same Cases
Article 121 was the only charge in 9 of 38 cases. Article 107 (false official statement) and Article 81 (conspiracy) were each charged in 9 cases. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 7, and Article 128b (domestic violence) and Article 134 (general article) in 5 each.
An adjudged sentence covers every finding. The sentences in this group include other convictions as well as the theft, and the records do not separate them.
Rank, Forum, and Location
By rank, 17 accused were junior enlisted, 15 were NCOs, and 6 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 military judge alone decided 34 of 38 cases (89%), and members heard 4, all enlisted panels. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.
Fort Hood tried 9 of these cases, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 4, Fort Leonard Wood 3, and Kaiserslautern (Europe) and Fort Bragg 2 each. Together they account for 53% of the 38 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Do Not Show
Trial records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, the value of what was taken, or thefts handled outside a court-martial.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 121 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2022 that charged Article 121 (38 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2021.
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 121 (Larceny): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Larceny at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Larceny at Army Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- Army Article 121 Cases in 2024
- How Army Larceny Cases Ended in 2025
- Article 121 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- Article 121 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Theft and Fraud: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
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.