Sexual Abuse of an Adult Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial
The Navy had 143 full acquittals among 236 contested courts-martial for sexual abuse of an adult that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025 (61%). Federal trials under 18 U.S.C. 2241 to 2244 ended in an acquittal in 79 of 276 cases (29%). Most Navy cases in this count do not list who decided guilt, wh
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In brief: The Navy had 143 full acquittals among 236 contested courts-martial for sexual abuse of an adult that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025 (61%). Federal trials under 18 U.S.C. 2241 to 2244 ended in an acquittal in 79 of 276 cases (29%). Most Navy cases in this count do not list who decided guilt, which limits what the Navy figure can show.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 2,093 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). The series also draws on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 659,036 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Navy Contested Cases and Their Verdicts
A contested court-martial is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The Navy had 236 such cases for Article 120 rape, sexual assault, and abusive sexual contact that reached a verdict.
Of these, 143 ended in a full acquittal (61%). Another 16 (7%) were partial acquittals, with a not-guilty finding on at least one charge and a guilty finding on another.
The Missing Forum Information
Navy and Marine Corps records usually do not show who decided guilt, a judge or members. For the Navy, 200 of the 236 cases have no forum listed, and those 200 cases had 127 full acquittals (64%).
The cases with a forum listed are few. A judge alone decided 30 cases, with 12 full acquittals (40%). Members decided 6 cases, with 4 full acquittals, and all 6 were enlisted members.
Navy Results by Year
The table gives full acquittals of contested cases for each year. The Navy had 22 of 36 in 2016 and 21 of 35 in 2019.
In 2022 the figure was 9 of 11, and in 2025 it was 4 of 6. The later years have small counts, so single-year rates are less reliable than the total for 2016 to 2025.
| Year | Navy: full acquittals of contested cases |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 22 of 36 |
| 2017 | 20 of 32 |
| 2018 | 16 of 32 |
| 2019 | 21 of 35 |
| 2020 | 13 of 20 |
| 2021 | 19 of 32 |
| 2022 | 9 of 11 |
| 2023 | 13 of 19 |
| 2024 | 6 of 13 |
| 2025 | 4 of 6 |
Federal Court Trials
The Federal Judicial Center counted 2,093 defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 2241 to 2244, with any victim age, whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. A guilty plea was entered by 1,555 (74%), 262 (13%) had their cases dismissed, and 276 (13%) went to trial.
Among trials, 79 ended in an acquittal (29%). Of the 257 jury trials, 72 ended in an acquittal (28%). Of the 19 bench trials, decided by a judge, 7 did (37%).
Reading the Rates Together
The Navy rate counts full acquittals among contested cases. The federal rate counts acquittals among trials. Federal case data does not report partial acquittals separately, and the Navy had 16 partial acquittals.
Federal figures also include dismissals in the base for all cases that ended, and 1,752 of the 2,093 defendants (84%) were convicted. The Navy figure has no dismissal step because it begins with cases that reached a verdict.
What the Records Cannot Show
The records do not show the evidence, the charging decisions, or whether a not-guilty finding turned on facts or on law. A federal felony needs a grand jury indictment. A court-martial has no grand jury.
The Navy percentages describe what was recorded and do not predict the result of any particular case.
How We Counted
Navy courts-martial charging sexual abuse of an adult (Article 120 rape, sexual assault, and abusive sexual contact) with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 that were contested and reached a verdict (236). Federal: defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 2241 to 2244 (any victim age) whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (2,093), Federal Judicial Center.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
Who is in each set of numbers. The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.
Different cases reach each system. Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
Offense categories do not line up exactly. Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match.
How "plea" and "trial" are counted. In the federal sentencing numbers, "trial" means the person was convicted after a trial, including people who pleaded guilty to some counts and went to trial on others. People acquitted at trial are not in these numbers at all (see "Who is in each set of numbers"). In the federal case data, the trial rate counts both convictions and acquittals at trial among all defendants whose cases ended, including dismissed cases. Military numbers count contested cases that reached a verdict. These denominators are not the same, and each post states the one it uses.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial (overview)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
- Guilty Pleas in Sexual Abuse of an Adult Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
- Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials? (related comparison)
- Guilty Pleas in Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, Year by Year (related comparison)
- Child Pornography Sentences: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (related comparison)
- Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare (related comparison)
- Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025 (related comparison)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b Courts-Martial (related comparison)
- Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial (related comparison)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 120 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 120 UCMJ Explained by a Former Special Victim Prosecutor (law firm reference page)
- Forum Selection (law firm reference page)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
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.