Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune recorded 14 convictions for aggravated assault (Article 128), with a median adjudged confinement of 9 months. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 24 people were sentenced in federal court under the aggravated assault guideline, and the median prison term for tho
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 9 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Aggravated Assault › Aggravated Assault: Camp Lejeune
In brief: Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune recorded 14 convictions for aggravated assault (Article 128), with a median adjudged confinement of 9 months. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 24 people were sentenced in federal court under the aggravated assault guideline, and the median prison term for those sent to prison was 57 months. The federal cases come from the whole district, not from the base, so the groups are not the same kind of case.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 24 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.
Who Is Counted on Each Side
Camp Lejeune is in the federal Eastern District of North Carolina. The federal numbers in this post cover every aggravated assault sentencing in that district. They are not cases from the installation, and most of them did not involve service members.
On the military side, the records list the trial location as "Camp Lejeune" or "Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune". All 14 convictions were Marine Corps cases, with trial dates from 2020 to 2025.
The federal count comes from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. It covers people sentenced under guideline §2A2.2 (aggravated assault) in fiscal years 2017 to 2025. A federal fiscal year starts October 1 and ends September 30, while the court-martial numbers go by trial date.
Confinement and Prison Terms Side by Side
Confinement was part of the sentence in 13 of the 14 Camp Lejeune convictions with a sentence recorded (93%). The median was 9 months, and a quarter of those convicted received 12 months or more.
In the district, 21 of the 24 people sentenced (88%) received a prison term. Another 3 (13%) received probation only. For those sent to prison, the median term was 57 months (4.8 years), with a quarter at 78 months or more and a quarter at 37 months or less.
These measures are not identical. A court-martial sentence is the one adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. A federal prison term is the term the judge imposed, not the time a person actually served.
| Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune | Federal court, Eastern District of North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 14 | 24 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 93% | 88% |
| Median confinement or prison | 9 months | 57 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 12 months | 78 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 10 of 14 with a plea recorded (71%) | 92% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 2 of 23 with the information (9%) |
Guilty Pleas at Camp Lejeune and in the District
Of the 14 Camp Lejeune convictions with a plea recorded, 10 (71%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 9 months, based on 9 cases with confinement. In contested cases that ended in conviction, the median was 7.5 months, based on 4 cases.
Federal defendants in the district pleaded guilty more often: 22 of 24 (92%). Only 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 48 months, and after a trial it was 165 months.
The trial figure rests on just 2 people, and the contested court-martial figure rests on 4. Numbers this small can change a great deal with one more case.
Among the federal guilty pleas, 64% had a written plea agreement and 36% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Discharges and the Level of Court
A court-martial can add a punitive discharge, which has no match in federal court. Of the 14 enlisted members convicted at Camp Lejeune, 11 (79%) received one: 2 dishonorable discharges and 9 bad-conduct discharges.
A general court-martial, the highest level of trial, handled 8 of the 14 convictions (57%). The rest were at a lower level of court-martial.
Where Federal Sentences Fell Against the Guidelines
All 24 federal sentences had information on the guideline range. Of those, 50% (12) were within the range. Sentences below the range at the government's request made up 13% (3), and sentences below the range without a government request made up 25% (6). Another 13% (3) were above the range.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 people (9%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 21 (88%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (4%), and restitution for 1 (4%).
Federal records also include criminal history. In the district, 38% of those sentenced were in category I, the lowest, and 21% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this cannot be compared.
How the Base and District Compare With Wider Totals
Across all courts-martial for this offense in the data, there were 214 convictions, with a median confinement of 11.3 months. The Camp Lejeune median of 9 months was lower than that.
Across all federal districts, 4,493 people were sentenced under this guideline, with a median prison term of 40 months. The Eastern District of North Carolina median of 57 months was higher.
Limits of This Comparison
Both groups are small, so a few cases can move the medians. The records do not show the facts of each assault, the injuries, or the evidence. They also cannot show whether any Camp Lejeune case would have been charged in federal court, or what sentence it would have drawn there.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, ending in a conviction for aggravated assault (Article 128) (14). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Eastern District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina East") under guideline §2A2.2 (aggravated assault) (24). 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)
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Drug Possession: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Drug Distribution: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (other installations)
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Army Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 128 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 128 Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- When Army Accused Plead Guilty to Assault (court-martial data)
- Fewer or More? Assault Charges at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Assault Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 128 in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Assault Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Assault Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 128 UCMJ: Assault, Aggravated Assault, and Strangulation (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.