Army Article 93a Cases Against NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Outcomes and Sentences
Army records hold 27 courts-martial from 2021–2025 that charged NCOs (E-5 to E-9) under Article 93a (prohibited activities with recruit or trainee). Every case ended in a conviction, the median confinement was 50 days, and 33% of the convicted NCOs received a punitive discharge.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 93a › NCOs (E-5 to E-9)
Short answer: Army records hold 27 courts-martial from 2021–2025 that charged NCOs (E-5 to E-9) under Article 93a (prohibited activities with recruit or trainee). Every case ended in a conviction, the median confinement was 50 days, and 33% of the convicted NCOs received a punitive discharge. Both figures were the same in all Army Article 93a cases.
Where the Cases Were Tried
Fort Knox had 14 of the 27 cases. Fort Sill had 4, Fort Jackson 3, Fort Lee 2, and Fort Benning 1. Together these five installations account for 89% of the 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.
Pleas and Forum
The records list 27 guilty pleas. 26 of them are recorded with a plea agreement, and 1 has no entry. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.
A military judge alone decided all 27 cases. No case went to an enlisted panel or an officer panel.
Short Confinement Terms
All 27 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 23 of the sentences included confinement (85%). The median was 50 days, the same as in all Army Article 93a cases. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 3 months or longer.
22 convictions (81%) carried confinement under 6 months, 1 carried 6 months to 1 year, and 4 had no confinement. None was longer than one year. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army Article 93a cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 15% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 22 | 81% | 79% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 4% | 4% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 0% |
Bad-Conduct Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 33% of the convictions: 9 bad-conduct discharges and no dishonorable discharges. The rate in all Army Article 93a cases was also 33%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Special Courts-Martial
19 cases were special courts-martial and 7 were general courts-martial, with 1 not listed. The general share of 27% compares with 30% in all Army Article 93a cases. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Charges Filed Together
Article 93a was the only charge in 10 of the 27 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 11. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 8, Article 131b (obstruction) in 4, Article 107 (false official statement) in 3, and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 2.
Years and Limits
The trials ran from January 2021 to November 2025: 4 in 2021, 7 in 2022, 3 in 2023, 6 in 2024, and 7 in 2025. The rank mix is similar to all Army Article 93a cases.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, and new sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial tried 2021–2025 that charged NCOs (E-5 to E-9) under Article 93a (27 cases), compared with every Army Article 93a case.
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 93a (Prohibited Activities with Recruit or Trainee, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- Is Army Article 93a Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 93a, 2021–2025
- How Much Confinement for an Article 93a Conviction in the Army?
- Army Child Endangerment Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- Army Child Sexual Abuse Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- Army Communicating Threats Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- Army Conduct Unbecoming Cases Against Officers: Outcomes and Sentences
- Army Conspiracy Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- 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.