How Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2019–2023

Trends › By Installation › Camp Lejeune, North Carolina › Article 120, 2019–2023

Based on 29 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea

Only 21 of the 29 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Among those 21, 16 accused pleaded guilty and 5 contested at least one charge. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.

The contested share was 24%, compared with 65% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases in 2019–2023. Across the service, most of these cases went to trial on the merits. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms, so they cannot show why Camp Lejeune was different.

Article 120 Was Rarely the Only Charge

Article 120 was the only charge in just 4 of the 29 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared with it in 20 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 10, Article 134 (general article) in 8, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 5, and Article 128b (domestic violence) in 4.

Every conviction here was on at least one charge, but not necessarily the Article 120 charge. A sentence covers the whole case, so the sentences below include all of these companion charges.

Sentences Shorter Than Service-Wide

Confinement was part of 93% of the 29 convictions. The median confinement was 1.1 years, shorter than the 1.5 years in Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases. A quarter of the sentences were 1.8 years or longer.

Sentences longer than one year were less common: 14 of 29 convictions (48%), compared with 55%. The largest difference was in the longest sentences: 7% of convictions included 5 years or more, compared with 19% across the service. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 28%, compared with 18%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

Most Convictions Included a Punitive Discharge

89% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 16 bad-conduct and 8 dishonorable discharges. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases, the share was 83%. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge, so the 8 dishonorable discharges came from general courts-martial.

Both of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers 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.

Fewer General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial tried 21 of the 29 cases (72%), compared with 87% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases. 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. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement, so the 14 sentences of more than one year all came from general courts-martial.

Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with confinement capped at six months and no punitive discharge.

Almost All Junior Enlisted

The accused were 25 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 2 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That mix is more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases in 2019–2023, where 60% were junior enlisted.

Most Cases Came in 2021

The 29 cases were tried from March 2019 through August 2023: 3 in 2019, 5 in 2020, 16 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. They made up 10% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in those years. With counts this small, a few cases either way can move any percentage here.

Law Changes for Sexual Assault

Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense happened. Article 120 is also a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it. Every case here was tried before that date.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which version of Article 120 applied in a given case. They also leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, and the plea terms.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 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.