General Article Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023
From 2019 to 2023, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 54 courts-martial charging Article 134 (the general article). None of the 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (0%). In Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases overall, 7% did.
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Short answer: From 2019 to 2023, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 54 courts-martial charging Article 134 (the general article). None of the 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (0%). In Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases overall, 7% did. 83% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 74% across the service.
No Full Acquittals Among Contested Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Camp Lejeune, 10 contested cases reached a verdict in 2019–2023, and 0 ended in a full acquittal. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases, 7% did.
Some contested cases ended in a partial acquittal. In 3 of the 10 cases (30%), the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another.
Most Sentences Were Longer Than One Year
Confinement was part of 93% of the 54 convictions. The median confinement was 1.7 years, compared with 1.5 years across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases. A quarter of the sentences were 3 years or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were more common here: 38 of 54 convictions (70%), compared with 52% across the service. 32 convictions (59%) were more than 1 year but under 5 years, compared with 42%. Shorter sentences were less common. 7 convictions were under 6 months (13%, compared with 20%). 5 were 6 months to 1 year (9%, compared with 17%). 4 had no confinement (7%, compared with 11%).
These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, not only Article 134.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 7% | 11% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 13% | 20% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 9% | 17% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 32 | 59% | 42% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 11% | 10% |
How Many Received a Punitive Discharge?
Enlisted members convicted here received a punitive discharge 83% of the time: 19 bad-conduct discharges and 24 dishonorable discharges. The share across the service for Article 134 was 74%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer in the group was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
The General Article Was Usually Charged With Others
Article 134 covers conduct that is prejudicial to good order and discipline or service-discrediting. In these records it often appeared with other offenses. It was the only charge in 17 of the 54 cases.
Assault (Article 128) and orders violations (Article 92) were the most common companion charges, in 12 cases each. Sexual assault (Article 120) and child sexual abuse (Article 120b) followed, in 8 each. False official statements (Article 107) appeared in 6. A sentence covers the whole case, so these charges are part of the sentence figures.
Pleas and Court Level
Only 38 of the 54 records list a plea. Of those, 28 show a guilty plea and 10 show a contested case. The contested share was 26%, slightly lower than the 30% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these counts use only records that list it.
General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 83% of cases (45 of 54). Special courts-martial, capped at one year of confinement, heard the rest. Only a general court-martial can impose more than a year of confinement.
Rank of the Accused
The accused were 42 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 10 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. That mix is more junior than Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases overall, where 61% were junior enlisted.
The Earlier Period, 2017–2018
Camp Lejeune had 22 Article 134 cases in 2017–2018, about 11 a year. That is the same yearly average as in 2019–2023, counting full years only. Sentences were about the same. The median confinement went from 1.6 years to 1.7 years. Convictions with confinement went from 91% to 93%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 82% to 83%. The general court-martial share went from 77% to 83%.
Only 1 earlier record lists a plea, so there is no useful contested share for 2017–2018. In small groups a few cases can move each figure, so these changes show direction, not precise size.
| 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 22 | 54 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 1 | 26% |
| Convictions with confinement | 91% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 1.6 years | 1.7 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 82% | 83% |
| General courts-martial | 77% | 83% |
Year by Year
The trials took place from February 2019 through November 2023. There were 8 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 20 in 2021, 12 in 2022, and 7 in 2023. These 54 cases make up 19% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in those years.
What the Records Leave Out
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not describe the evidence or the terms of plea agreements. They leave out misconduct handled outside a courtroom through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. They also give trial dates, not offense dates.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 134 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 134 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2017–2018 (22) and 2019–2023 (54). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 134 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 134 (General Article): 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)
- General Article Cases at Camp Pendleton, California: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023 (same offense, another installation)
- Did General Article Cases at Bremerton, Washington Change After 2019? (same offense, another installation)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps General Article Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 134, 2017–2025
- Article 134 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 134 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.
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.