Conspiracy Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023

Trends › By Installation › Camp Lejeune, North Carolina › Article 81

Based on 27 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Fewer Cases a Year, Shorter Confinement

The earlier period has 24 cases across the 2 years with cases on record, about 12 a year. From 2019 through 2023, there were about 5 a year, counting full years only.

The median adjudged confinement was 11 months in 2017–2018 and 6 months in 2019–2023. Nearly every conviction in both periods carried confinement: 96% in the earlier period and 100% in the later one.

The later median of 6 months was also shorter than the 10 months across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 81 cases in 2019–2023. These groups are small, and a few cases either way can change the figures. The changes show a direction, not a precise measurement.

Every Case Ended in a Conviction

All 27 cases in 2019–2023 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. All 27 sentences included confinement. A quarter of those sentences were 1.2 years or longer.

Sentences of more than one year came in 7 of 27 convictions (26%). That is less often than the 33% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 81 cases. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.

Conspiracy Was Almost Never the Only Charge

Article 81 makes it a crime to agree with another person to commit an offense. At Camp Lejeune, it was the only charge in 1 of 27 cases. The most common other charges were Article 121 (larceny) in 11 cases, Article 112a (drug offenses) in 10, Article 92 (orders violations) in 9, Article 131b (obstruction) in 7, and Article 134 (the general article) in 5.

A sentence covers every charge in the case. The confinement figures therefore include punishment for those other offenses as well as the conspiracy itself.

Punitive Discharges in Both Periods

92% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge in both periods. In 2019–2023, 24 of 26 convicted enlisted members received one: 23 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 81 cases, the share was 83%.

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, and a dismissal for officers. 1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears here, and that officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

General and Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial heard 11 of the 27 later cases (41%). The share was 46% in 2017–2018 and 46% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 81 cases in 2019–2023. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

The later period had 11 general and 16 special courts-martial. Every conviction at both levels carried confinement. The median confinement was 1.3 years at general courts-martial and 6 months at special courts-martial.

Pleas: Listed in Only 10 Records

A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Only 10 of the 27 records from 2019–2023 list a plea. Of those, 6 were contested and 4 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 60%, compared with 24% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 81 cases.

Most pleas are missing, so this comparison rests on a small part of the cases. The records without a plea cannot be counted as guilty pleas or contested cases. The share could be different if those pleas were known.

Rank of the Accused and Cases by Year

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 74% of the accused, NCOs were 22%, and officers were 4%. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 81 cases, junior enlisted members were 79%.

The later cases were tried from February 2019 through November 2023: 12 in 2019, 5 in 2020, 7 in 2021, 1 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. They are 10% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in those years.

What the Records Do Not Show

This page compares two periods of trials. It cannot show how offenses were committed or investigated. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. Many of these records do not list a plea, so plea counts use only the records that do.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.