Assault Charges at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2019–2023: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › Camp Lejeune, North Carolina › Article 128, 2019–2023

Based on 68 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

No Full Acquittals

A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Camp Lejeune had 10 contested cases that reached a verdict. None ended in a full acquittal (0%). A full acquittal means not guilty of every charge. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases for 2019–2023, 49% of contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.

All 68 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. A conviction on one charge can still come with a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

Fewer Contested Cases

Only 41 of the 68 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Among those, 31 accused pleaded guilty and 10 contested the charges. The contested share was 24%, lower than the 40% across the Navy and Marine Corps in the same years.

Most cases with a recorded plea ended in a guilty plea. The contested cases that went to trial all ended with at least one guilty finding. The plea is missing from many records, so the contested share for all 68 cases is unknown.

More Punitive Discharges Than Across the Service

Of 67 convicted enlisted members, 53 received a punitive discharge (79%): 44 bad-conduct and 9 dishonorable. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 61%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer in the group was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

A sentence with no punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Those separations are outside these records.

Confinement in Most Sentences

Confinement was part of 94% of the 68 convictions. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.

Fewer convictions had no confinement: 4 convictions (6%), compared with 14% across the service. Sentences longer than one year were also less common: 13 of 68 convictions (19%), compared with 24%. Only 1 sentence was 5 years or more. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial

43 of the 68 cases were special courts-martial and 25 were general courts-martial. The general share was 37%, lower than the 52% across the Navy and Marine Corps. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

At general courts-martial, 96% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.1 years. At special courts-martial, 93% did, with a median of 5 months.

What Else Was Charged

Article 128 was rarely the only charge: 54 of the 68 cases charged at least one other article. The most common companion charges were Article 92 (orders violation) in 24 cases and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 20. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 12. Article 129 (burglary before 2019; burglary and unlawful entry since) and Article 112a (drug) appeared in 10 each.

An assault count charged with sexual assault or domestic violence can describe part of the same incident. The sentence covers the whole case. Assault is not a covered offense on its own. Special trial counsel who take a covered offense can also take related charges, such as an assault tied to a domestic violence allegation.

Year by Year and by Rank

The trials took place from February 2019 to December 2023: 13 in 2019, 14 in 2020, 25 in 2021, 11 in 2022, and 5 in 2023. Assault charges were part of 24% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in those years.

58 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 9 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. Across the service, 63% of Article 128 accused were junior enlisted. This group was more junior.

Limits of the Data

These figures cover only cases that reached a courtroom. Assaults handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The trial records do not describe the evidence or any plea terms. The years shown are trial years, not offense years.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025

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.