Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Jacksonville vs. Federal Court in the Middle District of Florida
Navy courts-martial tried at Jacksonville, Florida recorded 10 Article 120b convictions for sexual offenses against a child, with trial dates from 2017 to 2025; 4 of the 10 (40%) were guilty pleas, and the median adjudged confinement was 51 months (4.2 years). In the Middle District of Florida, 175
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 9 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement › Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Jacksonville
In brief: Navy courts-martial tried at Jacksonville, Florida recorded 10 Article 120b convictions for sexual offenses against a child, with trial dates from 2017 to 2025; 4 of the 10 (40%) were guilty pleas, and the median adjudged confinement was 51 months (4.2 years). In the Middle District of Florida, 175 people were sentenced in federal court for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 147 months (12.2 years). The federal cases are from the whole district, and most did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 175 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 Were Common at Jacksonville
Of the 10 Jacksonville convictions with a plea recorded, 4 (40%) were guilty pleas. The rest were contested cases that ended in conviction.
The 4 guilty-plea cases with confinement had a median of 22.5 months. The 4 contested cases with confinement had a median of 107.9 months. Each of those medians rests on 4 sentences.
In the Middle District of Florida, 143 of 175 people (82%) pleaded guilty and 32 were convicted after a trial. Guilty pleas were more common in the district than at Jacksonville.
The Federal Group Is the Whole District
Jacksonville, Florida is in the federal Middle District of Florida. The 175 federal cases are cases from across 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. They are not cases from the installation, and most of those people were not in the military.
On the military side, the records list the trial location as "Jacksonville" or "Jacksonville, Florida". All 10 convictions were Navy cases.
| Courts-martial at Jacksonville | Federal court, Middle District of Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 10 | 175 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 90% | more than 99% |
| Median confinement or prison | 51 months | 147 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 101.9 months | 235 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 4 of 10 with a plea recorded (40%) | 82% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 167 of 175 with the information (95%) |
Sentences in the 10 Jacksonville Convictions
Confinement was part of 9 of the 10 sentences recorded (90%). A quarter received 101.9 months or more, and 1 person received confinement for life.
All 10 convictions were at a general court-martial. Each of the 10 enlisted members convicted received a punitive discharge: 6 dishonorable discharges and 4 bad-conduct discharges.
Trials in 2016 to 2019 had a median confinement of 33 months, across 3 cases. Trials in 2020 to 2025 had a median of 95.9 months, across 5 cases. Groups this small do not show a trend.
Mandatory Minimums and Prison Terms in Federal Court
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 167 of the 175 federal defendants (95%). Prison was imposed on 174 (more than 99%), and 1 (less than 1%) received probation only.
A quarter received 235 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. 4 people received a life sentence. The median prison term was 135 months after a guilty plea and 174 months after a trial.
Among the guilty pleas, 68% had a written plea agreement and 31% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range, Supervision, and Payments
Of the 175 sentences, 55% (96) were within the guideline range and 10% (18) were above it. Below-range sentences without a government request made up 27% (47), and those at the government's request made up 8% (14).
Supervised release was ordered for 174 people (more than 99%), with a median term of 120 months. Of those, 47 (27%) received supervised release for life. Restitution was ordered for 37 (21%) and a fine for 3 (2%).
Context and Limits
The district median of 147 months was higher than the 120-month median across all federal districts, where 4,971 people were sentenced. The Jacksonville median of 51 months was higher than the 36-month median for all 605 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data.
In the district, 75% were in criminal history category I and 2% in category VI; courts-martial keep no such field. Court-martial sentences are as adjudged, before clemency or appeal, and federal terms are as imposed. Federal fiscal years run October 1 to September 30, while court-martial years follow the trial date. 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 Jacksonville, Florida, ending in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b; federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses) (10). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Middle District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida Mid") under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute (175). 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 Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Jacksonville vs. Federal Court in the Middle District of Florida (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: 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.