Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington
Joint Base Lewis-McChord courts-martial recorded 14 Article 120b convictions for sexual offenses against a child with trial dates from 2017 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 66 months (5.5 years). Federal court in the Western District of Washington sentenced 58 people for child-victim
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In brief: Joint Base Lewis-McChord courts-martial recorded 14 Article 120b convictions for sexual offenses against a child with trial dates from 2017 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 66 months (5.5 years). Federal court in the Western District of Washington sentenced 58 people for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 114 months (9.5 years). That federal group is drawn from the entire district, not from the base, and most of the people in it were not service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 58 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.
Plea Cases and Contested Cases at the Base
Of the 13 convictions with a plea recorded, 8 (62%) were guilty pleas. The 7 guilty-plea cases with confinement had a median of 21.7 months.
Contested cases that ended in conviction had a median confinement of 198 months, based on 5 cases with confinement. That figure was higher than the guilty-plea median. Neither group is large, and the records do not show the charges or facts behind any sentence.
For the base as a whole, a quarter of those convicted received 119.9 months or more.
What Is Being Compared
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington is in the federal Western District of Washington. The 58 federal cases were sentenced anywhere in that district 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 did not involve anyone in the military.
The records list the trial location for the military cases as "JB Lewis-McChord, Washington" or "Joint Base Lewis-McChord". Of the 14 convictions, 13 were Army cases and 1 was an Air Force case.
| Courts-martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord | Federal court, Western District of Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 14 | 58 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 93% | 100% |
| Median confinement or prison | 66 months | 114 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 119.9 months | 141.8 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 8 of 13 with a plea recorded (62%) | 88% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 22 of 56 with the information (39%) |
Trial Years at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Only 1 conviction with confinement came from trials in 2016 to 2019, and its confinement was 7.9 months. Trials in 2020 to 2025 account for 12 cases with confinement, with a median of 76.5 months.
A single earlier case cannot be compared with the later group in any meaningful way. The later median describes most of the base's convictions in this data.
Confinement, Discharge, and Court Level
Of the 14 sentences recorded, 13 (93%) included confinement. Of the 14 convictions, 13 (93%) were at a general court-martial.
All 14 enlisted members convicted received a punitive discharge. That includes 10 dishonorable discharges and 4 bad-conduct discharges.
The base median of 66 months was higher than the 36 months recorded for all 605 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data.
Sentencing in the Western District of Washington
Prison terms were imposed on all 58 federal defendants. A quarter received 48 months or less and a quarter received 141.8 months or more, with 1 life sentence. The district median of 114 months was lower than the 120-month median for the 4,971 people sentenced across all federal districts.
Guilty pleas accounted for 51 of the 58 (88%), all with written plea agreements, and 7 people were convicted at trial. The median prison term was 97 months for a guilty plea and 276 months for a trial conviction.
The government asked for a below-range sentence in 50% of cases (29), and judges went below the range without such a request in 26% (15). Within-range sentences made up 22% (13), and 2% (1) were above the range. A mandatory minimum applied in 39% of cases (22).
Federal Terms the Military Records Lack
Each of the 58 received supervised release, with a median term of 180 months, and 17% (10) received it for life. Restitution was ordered in 55% of cases (32) and a fine in 2% (1). By criminal history, 66% were in category I and 0% in category VI; court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Court-martial confinement is the adjudged sentence, before clemency or appeal, and federal prison terms are imposed terms, not time served. Federal fiscal years run October 1 to September 30, and the court-martial years are by trial date.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, ending in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b; federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses) (14). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute (58). 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 Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord 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 (same installation)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord 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 (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.