Did Larceny Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Change After 2019?
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 32 courts-martial charging Article 121 (larceny) in 2019–2023. 94% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 61% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 121 cases overall.
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Short answer: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 32 courts-martial charging Article 121 (larceny) in 2019–2023. 94% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 61% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 121 cases overall. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 11 months in 2017–2018. 33% of cases with a recorded plea were contested, compared with 22% across the service.
Discharges in Almost Every Case
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. 94% of enlisted convictions here included one: 27 bad-conduct and 2 dishonorable. In Navy and Marine Corps Article 121 cases, the share was 61%.
The share was about the same in 2017–2018, at 93%. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge, so the 2 dishonorable discharges came from that level. No officers or warrant officers appear among the accused. A sentence with no punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Those separations are not in these records.
Almost Every Conviction Included Confinement
Of 32 convictions, 31 included confinement. 1 had no confinement (3%), compared with 20% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 121 cases. The median confinement was 7 months, longer than the 6 months in the rest of the service. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were 7 of 32 convictions (22%), compared with 15%. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 41%, compared with 32%. Sentences under 6 months made up 34%, about the same as the 32% across the service. No conviction here included 5 years or more, compared with 1% across the service. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 121 cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 1 | 3% | 20% |
| Under 6 months | 11 | 34% | 32% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 13 | 41% | 32% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 7 | 22% | 14% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 1% |
Larceny Was Seldom the Only Charge
In 28 of the 32 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 92 (orders violation) was the most common companion charge, in 14 cases. Next were Article 81 (conspiracy) in 11, Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019) in 10, Article 107 (false official statement) in 9, and Article 112a (drug) in 6.
A sentence covers every charge in the case. The confinement and discharge figures therefore include these companion charges along with the larceny count. A conspiracy charge alleges an agreement with at least one other person to commit an offense.
Fewer Cases, Shorter Terms Than in 2017–2018
The 2017–2018 records have 30 larceny cases over 2 years, about 15 a year. Since 2019 there have been about 6 a year, counting full years only. The yearly counts were 16 in 2019, 2 in 2020, 10 in 2021, 2 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. 2019 had the most cases.
The median confinement went from 11 months to 7 months. Convictions with confinement stayed at 97%. General courts-martial were 43% and then 44% of cases. Punitive discharges went from 93% to 94%. Pleas cannot be compared across the periods, because only 3 earlier records list one. In groups this small a few cases can move each figure, so the changes show direction, not precise size.
| 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 30 | 32 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 3 | 33% |
| Convictions with confinement | 97% | 97% |
| Median confinement | 11 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 93% | 94% |
| General courts-martial | 43% | 44% |
Pleas in the Records That List Them
Only 15 of the 32 records list a plea, since Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of those 15, 10 accused pleaded guilty and 5 contested at least one charge by entering a not-guilty or mixed plea.
The contested share was 33%, compared with 22% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 121 cases overall. With 15 recorded pleas, a single case changes that share noticeably. The records do not explain why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.
General and Special Courts-Martial
General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, tried 14 cases (44%). At that level, 93% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.2 years.
Special courts-martial, capped at one year of confinement and unable to impose a dishonorable discharge, tried 18 cases. Every one of those convictions included confinement (100%), with a median of 4 months. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year.
Who Was Charged
The accused were 20 junior enlisted members and 11 NCOs. That mix is more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps Article 121 cases in 2019–2023. Larceny cases made up 11% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in those years.
What the Data Leaves Out
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, offense dates, or theft cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
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
Courts-martial tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina that charged Article 121 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2017–2018 (30) and 2019–2023 (32). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 121 in 2019–2023.
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
- Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 121 (Larceny): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 140 Cases (the whole docket)
- Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 283 Cases Show (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2024–2026? 119 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- Larceny Cases at San Diego, California: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2022 (same offense, another installation)
- Larceny Cases at Camp Pendleton, California: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023 (same offense, another installation)
- How Has Article 121 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017?
- Article 121 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 121 Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2019–2023
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
Compare: federal court. Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 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.