Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
Army courts-martial tried at Fort Bragg, North Carolina recorded 18 Article 120b convictions for sexual offenses against a child with trial dates from 2021 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 68 months (5.7 years). The federal Eastern District of North Carolina sentenced 18 people for c
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In brief: Army courts-martial tried at Fort Bragg, North Carolina recorded 18 Article 120b convictions for sexual offenses against a child with trial dates from 2021 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 68 months (5.7 years). The federal Eastern District of North Carolina sentenced 18 people for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 158 months (13.2 years). The federal figures describe the whole district, and most of those cases did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 18 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.
Contested Convictions at Fort Bragg Drew Longer Confinement
Of the 18 Fort Bragg convictions with a plea recorded, 13 (72%) were guilty pleas. The other convictions came after the accused contested the charges.
The median confinement after a guilty plea was 42 months, across 13 cases with confinement. In contested cases ending in conviction, the median was 239.8 months, across 3 cases. The contested median was higher, but it rests on 3 sentences.
A quarter of all those convicted at Fort Bragg received 182.9 months or more.
Counting Rules for This Comparison
Fort Bragg is in the federal Eastern District of North Carolina, and the federal side counts that district as a whole. It is not a count of cases from the installation. Most of the federal defendants were not in the military.
Federal cases are those sentenced under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute. On the military side, the records list the trial location as "Fort Bragg", and all 18 convictions were Army cases.
The 2 counts are the same size: 18 and 18. They still do not cover the same years. Federal years are fiscal years starting October 1, and the court-martial years follow the trial date.
| Courts-martial at Fort Bragg | Federal court, Eastern District of North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 18 | 18 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 89% | 100% |
| Median confinement or prison | 68 months | 158 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 182.9 months | 221.2 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 13 of 18 with a plea recorded (72%) | 83% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 12 of 18 with the information (67%) |
Discharges and Court Level
All 18 convictions were at a general court-martial. Confinement was part of 16 of the 18 sentences recorded (89%).
Of the 15 enlisted members convicted, 13 (87%) received a punitive discharge: 11 dishonorable discharges and 2 bad-conduct discharges. The 3 officers convicted were all dismissed.
The Fort Bragg median of 68 months was higher than the 36-month median for all 605 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data.
Federal Sentences in the Eastern District
Prison was imposed on all 18 federal defendants. A quarter received 221.2 months or more, and a quarter received 65.2 months or less. A life sentence was imposed on 1 person.
Of the 18, 15 (83%) pleaded guilty, with a median prison term of 151 months. The 3 people convicted at trial had a median of 470 months. Written plea agreements accompanied 100% of the guilty pleas.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 12 people (67%). Sentences below the guideline range at the government's request accounted for 56% (10). Within-range sentences were 33% (6), below-range sentences without a government request were 11% (2), and 0% were above the range.
After Prison: Supervision and Payments
All 18 federal defendants were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months. Lifetime supervised release was ordered for 3 (17%).
Restitution was ordered for 7 (39%), and 0 received a fine. The district median prison term of 158 months was higher than the 120 months across all federal districts, where 4,971 people were sentenced.
Gaps in the Records
Federal records sort defendants by criminal history. In this district, 17% were in category I, the lowest, and 22% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Court-martial confinement here is the adjudged sentence, before clemency or appeal. Federal terms are imposed terms, not time served. With 18 cases on each side, a few sentences can change either median, and the records do not show the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Fort Bragg, North Carolina, ending in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b; federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses) (18). 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 §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute (18). 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.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
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)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b Courts-Martial (overview)
- Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (other installations)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (other installations)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (other installations)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Army? (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 120b Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 120b in the Army: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- How Has Article 120b Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016? (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Air Force? (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 120b UCMJ: Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child (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.