Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California
In the Southern District of California, 86 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 75 months. Courts-martial tried at San Diego recorded 22 convictions for sexual offenses again
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In brief: In the Southern District of California, 86 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 75 months. Courts-martial tried at San Diego recorded 22 convictions for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b) with trial dates from 2016 to 2024, with a median adjudged confinement of 48 months. The federal cases are drawn from the whole district, and most did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 86 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.
Where the Federal Cases Come From
San Diego is in the federal Southern District of California. The 86 federal sentences counted here are cases from that district, not from the military installations in San Diego. Most of the people sentenced were not service members, and nothing in the data shows that a San Diego court-martial would have been tried in the district court.
The federal count uses guideline §2G1.3, for enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor, plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute.
A District Median Lower Than the National Figure
The median prison term in the Southern District of California was 75 months (6.2 years). Across all federal districts, 4,971 people were sentenced, and the median was 120 months. The district median was lower than the national one.
Within the district, a quarter of those sentenced received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 48 months or less. All 86 received a prison term, and none received probation only.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 30 people (35%). A mandatory minimum is a floor written into the statute of conviction.
Pleas and the Guideline Range in the District
Guilty pleas made up 80 of 86 cases (93%), and every one of those pleas had a written plea agreement. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 71 months. The 6 people convicted after a trial had a median of 132 months.
Each federal sentence is compared with a range recommended by the sentencing guidelines. Here, 45 sentences (52%) were below the range at the government's request. Another 20 (23%) were below it without such a request, 17 (20%) were within it, and 4 (5%) were above it.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 86, with a median term of 84 months. For 3 people (3%), it was for life. Restitution was ordered in 8 cases (9%) and a fine in 2 (2%).
Courts-Martial Tried at San Diego
The records list the trial location as "Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego", "San Diego", or "San Diego, California". Of the 22 convictions, 19 were Navy cases and 3 were Marine Corps cases.
Confinement was part of 21 of the 22 sentences (95%). The median adjudged confinement was 48 months (4 years), and a quarter received 119.9 months or more. For all courts-martial for this offense in the data, covering 605 convictions, the median was 36 months. The San Diego median was higher.
Guilty pleas made up 19 of 22 convictions (86%), with a median confinement of 48 months. The 2 contested cases ending in conviction had a median of 43.5 months.
| Courts-martial at San Diego | Federal court, Southern District of California | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 22 | 86 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 95% | 100% |
| Median confinement or prison | 48 months | 75 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 119.9 months | 120 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 19 of 22 with a plea recorded (86%) | 93% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 30 of 86 with the information (35%) |
Discharges and Trial Periods
All 21 enlisted members convicted received a punitive discharge: 16 dishonorable discharges and 5 bad-conduct discharges. The 1 officer convicted was dismissed. A general court-martial heard 20 of the 22 cases (91%).
Trials in 2016 to 2019 had a median confinement of 66 months across 8 cases. Trials in 2020 to 2025 had a median of 36 months across 13 cases. Both groups are small, and the records cannot show what produced the difference.
Caution Before Comparing
A court-martial sentence is the one adjudged at trial, before any clemency or appeal. A federal prison term is the term a judge imposed, not the time served. The military years follow trial dates on the calendar, while federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30.
In the district, 35% of defendants were in criminal history category I and 13% were in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that factor cannot be compared.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is San Diego, California, ending in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b; federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses) (22). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Southern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California South") under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute (86). 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 Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (same installation)
- Drug Possession: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (same installation)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (same installation)
- Drug Distribution: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (same installation)
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (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.