Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington
Courts-martial tried at Bremerton, Washington produced 18 convictions for sexual abuse of an adult, with a median adjudged confinement of 30 months. In the Western District of Washington, 17 people were sentenced in federal court for this type of offense, and the median prison term was 18 months. Th
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In brief: Courts-martial tried at Bremerton, Washington produced 18 convictions for sexual abuse of an adult, with a median adjudged confinement of 30 months. In the Western District of Washington, 17 people were sentenced in federal court for this type of offense, and the median prison term was 18 months. The federal cases come from the whole district, not from the installation, so the court-martial and federal groups are different sets of cases.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 17 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended 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.
Which Cases Are Counted
The court-martial side covers cases where the records list the trial location as "Bremerton" or "Bremerton, Washington". These are convictions under Article 120 for rape, sexual assault, and abusive sexual contact. Trial dates run from 2017 to 2025. The Navy accounts for 17 of the 18 convictions and the Marine Corps for 1.
The federal side comes from U.S. Sentencing Commission records. It counts people sentenced under guideline §2A3.1 or §2A3.4 where the statute of conviction shows an adult victim (18 U.S.C. 2241(a)/(b), 2242, 2244). These cases were sentenced in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2018 to 2025. A federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, while court-martial cases are grouped by trial date.
Bremerton is in that federal district. Even so, the federal cases are not cases from the installation, and most did not involve service members. This post does not suggest that the Bremerton cases would have gone to that federal court.
| Courts-martial at Bremerton | Federal court, Western District of Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 18 | 17 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 78% | 94% |
| Median confinement or prison | 30 months | 18 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 95.9 months | 25.5 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 9 of 17 with a plea recorded (53%) | 71% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 0 of 17 with the information (0%) |
Confinement and Prison Terms
At Bremerton, 14 of the 18 convictions with a sentence recorded (78%) included confinement. The median adjudged confinement was 30 months (2.5 years). A quarter of those convicted received 95.9 months or more.
In the federal district, 16 of the 17 people sentenced (94%) received a prison term. None received probation only. The median prison term was 18 months, a quarter received 25.5 months or more, and a quarter received 11.5 months or less.
So a federal sentence in this district included prison more often, but the Bremerton median was higher. The court-martial figures are sentences as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. The federal figures are the terms imposed, not the time actually served.
Did the Bremerton Numbers Change Over Time?
The court-martial records also give the median confinement by period. For trials in 2016 to 2019, the median confinement was 107.9 months, based on 5 cases with confinement. For trials in 2020 to 2025, it was 13 months, based on 9 cases.
Both groups are small. A few long sentences can move a median a great deal when only 5 cases are counted. The records do not show the reason for the difference between the periods.
Guilty Pleas on Each Side
Of 17 Bremerton convictions with a plea recorded, 9 (53%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 48 months, across 8 cases with confinement. Contested cases that ended in conviction had a median of 24 months, across 5 cases with confinement.
In federal court, 12 of 17 (71%) pleaded guilty and 5 were convicted after a trial. Every guilty plea came with a written plea agreement. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 21 months, and after a trial it was 15 months, based on 5 people sent to prison.
On both sides, a guilty plea was linked to a longer median term than a conviction after trial. The groups are small, and the records do not show what was agreed to in each plea.
Discharges and Type of Court
Of the 17 enlisted members convicted at Bremerton, 13 received a punitive discharge (76%). That figure includes 9 dishonorable discharges and 4 bad-conduct discharges. The 1 officer convicted was dismissed, which is the officer form of a punitive discharge.
Nearly all of these cases, 17 of the 18 convictions (94%), were tried at a general court-martial. That is the highest level of military trial court.
Other Parts of the Federal Sentences
Federal judges compare each sentence with a range set by the sentencing guidelines. Of the 17 sentences with that information, 53% (9) were within the range. Another 24% (4) were below it at the government's request, 12% (2) were below it without such a request, and 12% (2) were above it. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of these cases.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 16 people (94%), with a median term of 60 months. Restitution was ordered for 14 (82%), and no fines were ordered. In criminal history, 76% were in category I, the lowest, and 0% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no field for criminal history.
The Wider Totals
Across all courts-martial for this offense in the data, there were 901 convictions with a median confinement of 24 months. Across all federal districts, 531 people were sentenced, with a median prison term of 74 months. The Western District of Washington median of 18 months is lower than that national federal figure.
Limits of This Comparison
These records describe sentences, not the facts of each case. They cannot show how serious each offense was, what evidence existed, or what led to a plea. With 18 convictions on one side and 17 people sentenced on the other, a single sentence can change a median. The court-martial and federal records also differ in who is counted, which court heard the case, and how years are measured.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Bremerton, Washington, ending in a conviction for sexual abuse of an adult (Article 120 rape, sexual assault, and abusive sexual contact) (18). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") under primary sentencing guideline §2A3.1 or §2A3.4 where the statute of conviction shows an adult victim (18 U.S.C. 2241(a)/(b), 2242, 2244) (17). The installation is matched to the federal district for the county where it sits.
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.
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Military confinement credit and parole. For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served.
Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not. A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show.
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.
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)
- Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (other installations)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Fewer or More? Sexual Assault Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 120 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Fighting an Army Sexual Assault Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- When Army Accused Plead Guilty to Sexual Assault (court-martial data)
- Is Air Force Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 120 Conviction in the Air Force? (court-martial data)
- When Air Force Accused Plead Guilty to Sexual Assault (court-martial data)
- 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)
- Article 120 UCMJ Explained by a Former Special Victim Prosecutor (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.