> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Larceny Plus Article 121a: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 121 and 121a - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-and-article-121a-charged-together/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:15:27.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:05.000Z - Description: From 2019–2026, 27 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial charged both larceny under Article 121 and fraudulent use of credit cards, debit cards under Article 121a (numbered since 2019). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 121, Article 121a [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 121](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-courts-martial/) › With Article 121a **Short answer:** From 2019–2026, 27 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial charged both larceny under Article 121 and fraudulent use of credit cards, debit cards under Article 121a (numbered since 2019). All 27 ended in a conviction, and the median confinement was 4 months, close to the 5 months across all Article 121 cases in those services. 18 of 26 convicted enlisted members (69%) received a bad-conduct discharge, compared with 64% for Article 121 cases overall. Based on 27 cases · 2019–2026 · Army, Navy, and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Mostly Short Confinement Terms Of the 27 convictions, 23 carried confinement. The median confinement was 4 months. Across all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 121, it was 5 months. 14 convictions (52%) carried under 6 months, compared with 43% across Article 121 cases. 8 (30%) carried 6 months to 1 year, compared with 28%. 4 convictions (15%) had no confinement, compared with 17%. Only 1 of the 27 convictions carried more than one year (4%), compared with 12% across Article 121 cases. No conviction in this group reached 5 years or more. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 121 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 4 | 15% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 14 | 52% | 43% | | 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 30% | 28% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1 | 4% | 10% | | 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 2% | ## What the Sentence Figures Mean The sentences are adjudged sentences. That is the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, so it includes any other charges described below, not only the larceny and card fraud charges. ## Bad-Conduct Discharges, No Dishonorable Discharges 26 enlisted members were convicted. 18 of them received a punitive discharge (69%), and none of those were dishonorable discharges. Across Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 121, the punitive discharge share was 64%. A bad-conduct discharge can come from a special court-martial or a general court-martial. A dishonorable discharge can only come from a general court-martial. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Mostly Special Courts-Martial 5 of the 27 cases were general courts-martial (19%). Across all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 121, the general court-martial share was 31%. The rest of this group was tried at special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. ## Guilty Pleas Were the Norm The plea is listed for 24 of the 27 cases. 20 accused pleaded guilty, and 4 contested at least one charge. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 17%, compared with 15% across all Article 121 cases in these services. ## A Mostly Junior Enlisted Group Among the accused with rank recorded, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 77%. NCOs made up 23%, and no officers appear. Across all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 121, junior enlisted members were 51% of the accused. ## Other Charges in These Cases Article 121a was charged in all 27 cases by definition. The next most common charges were Article 80, attempt, in 5 cases, Article 92, orders violation, in 4, and Article 86, AWOL, in 4\. Article 112a, drug offenses, appeared in 3. ## When and Where the Cases Were Tried The cases were tried from August 2019 to October 2026\. There were 3 in 2019, 4 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 3 in 2023, 1 in 2024, 3 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year. San Diego, California had the most cases (4). Camp Pendleton, California and Okinawa, Japan had 3 each, and MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina and Yokosuka, Japan had 2 each. These five locations account for 52% of the 27 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not by itself say anything about one base. ## Gaps in the Records The records give trial dates, not offense dates. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, new sentencing parameters apply. Without offense dates, trials from 2024 on mix old-rule and new-rule cases. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 121 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial that charged both Article 121 and Article 121a (27 cases). Air Force cases are left out because Air Force records rarely list the charges in acquittals. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Article 121 (Larceny): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Article 121a (Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121a-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Articles 121 and 92 in the Same Case: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-and-article-92-charged-together/) - [Larceny Plus Conspiracy: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 121 and 81](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-and-article-81-charged-together/) - [Articles 121 and 80 in the Same Case: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-and-article-80-charged-together/) - [Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-trend-2021-2025/) - [Air Force Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-121-trend-2016-2025/) - [Article 121 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **Compare: federal court.** [Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-dollar-loss-vs-article-121/) **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.