Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Fort Drum vs. Federal Court in the Northern District of New York
In the Northern District of New York, 64 people were sentenced in federal court for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025; the median prison term was 122.5 months (10.2 years), and a mandatory minimum applied to 80% of them. Army courts-martial tried
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In brief: In the Northern District of New York, 64 people were sentenced in federal court for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025; the median prison term was 122.5 months (10.2 years), and a mandatory minimum applied to 80% of them. Army courts-martial tried at Fort Drum, New York recorded 11 Article 120b convictions with trial dates from 2021 to 2025, with a median adjudged confinement of 49 months (4.1 years). The federal cases are from the whole district, not from Fort Drum, and most did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 64 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.
Mandatory Minimums in the Northern District of New York
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 51 of the 64 federal defendants (80%). A mandatory minimum is a floor set by statute that the judge generally cannot go below.
A quarter of those sent to prison received 120 months or less, and a quarter received 180 months or more. The median of 122.5 months was about the same as the 120-month median across all federal districts, where 4,971 people were sentenced.
All 64 received a prison term. None received probation only.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guidelines
The guidelines set a recommended range for each case. In this district, 41% of sentences (26) were within the range. Another 44% (28) were below the range without a government request, and 14% (9) were below it at the government's request. 1 sentence (2%) was above the range.
Below-range sentences without a government request were more common here than below-range sentences requested by the government.
Fort Drum Courts-Martial
The military count includes convictions where the records list the trial location as "Fort Drum". All 11 were Army cases, and all 11 were at a general court-martial.
Each of the 11 sentences recorded included confinement. The median was 49 months, and a quarter received 136.5 months or more. That median was higher than the 36 months for all 605 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data.
Of the 11 enlisted members convicted, 9 (82%) received a punitive discharge: 7 dishonorable discharges and 2 bad-conduct discharges.
| Courts-martial at Fort Drum | Federal court, Northern District of New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 11 | 64 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 100% | 100% |
| Median confinement or prison | 49 months | 122.5 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 136.5 months | 180 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 9 of 11 with a plea recorded (82%) | 94% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 51 of 64 with the information (80%) |
Plea Agreements and Straight Pleas
At Fort Drum, 9 of 11 convictions with a plea recorded (82%) were guilty pleas. Their median confinement was 60 months. The 2 contested cases that ended in conviction had a median of 27 months.
In federal court, 60 of 64 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 80% had a written plea agreement and 20% were straight pleas, meaning a guilty plea with no agreement. The median prison term was 121 months after a guilty plea and 210 months after a trial.
A District, Not an Installation
Fort Drum is in the federal Northern District of New York. The 64 federal cases are every case in that district 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. Most of them involved people outside the military.
The 11 Fort Drum convictions are a small group. A few sentences can change its median.
Supervision, Payments, and Prior Records
All 64 federal defendants were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 180 months, and 10 (16%) received it for life. Fines were ordered for 2 (3%) and restitution for 5 (8%).
In the district, 73% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 3% in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records do not track criminal history.
Limits
Court-martial sentences are as adjudged, before clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are as imposed, not as served. Federal fiscal years run October 1 to September 30, and court-martial years follow the trial date. The records do not show case facts or how any Fort Drum case would have been sentenced in the district court.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Fort Drum, New York, ending in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b; federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses) (11). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Northern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York North") under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute (64). 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 Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- 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: Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (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.