Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia
The 11 courts-martial at Washington Navy Yard that ended in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b), with trial dates from 2016 to 2024, had a median adjudged confinement of 83.9 months. In federal court in the District of Columbia, 27 people were sentenced for child-victim s
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In brief: The 11 courts-martial at Washington Navy Yard that ended in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b), with trial dates from 2016 to 2024, had a median adjudged confinement of 83.9 months. In federal court in the District of Columbia, 27 people were sentenced for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 140 months. The federal figures cover the whole district, and most of those cases did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 27 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.
Confinement in the Washington Courts-Martial
Every one of the 11 sentences recorded included confinement. The median adjudged confinement was 83.9 months, or 7 years. A quarter received 227.8 months or more.
All courts-martial for this offense in the data, 605 convictions in all, had a median confinement of 36 months. The Washington Navy Yard median was higher than that.
By service, the 11 convictions were 8 Navy, 2 Air Force, and 1 Army. The records list the trial location as "Fort McNair", "JB Anacostia-Bolling, Washington DC", "Washington Navy Yard", or "Washington, D.C".
| Courts-martial at Washington Navy Yard | Federal court, District of Columbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 11 | 27 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 100% | 100% |
| Median confinement or prison | 83.9 months | 140 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 227.8 months | 213 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 7 of 10 with a plea recorded (70%) | 89% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 18 of 27 with the information (67%) |
Contested Cases and Guilty Pleas
A plea was recorded for 10 convictions. Of these, 7 (70%) were guilty pleas, and the median confinement after a guilty plea was 24 months. The 3 contested cases ending in conviction had a median of 95.9 months.
Splitting the cases by period gives similar small groups. Trials in 2016 to 2019 had a median confinement of 24 months across 6 cases. Trials in 2020 to 2025 had a median of 167.9 months across 5 cases. Groups this small do not establish a trend.
Discharges and Court Level
All 11 people convicted were enlisted members, and each received a punitive discharge. There were 7 dishonorable discharges and 4 bad-conduct discharges. Every case was heard at a general court-martial.
The District of Columbia Is Not the Installation
Washington Navy Yard is in the federal District of Columbia. The 27 federal sentences are cases from that district, and most did not involve service members. The data does not suggest that any of the installation's cases would have been tried in federal court.
The federal count takes sentences under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute. Those categories are close to Article 120b but are not defined the same way.
Federal Sentences in the District
All 27 people received a prison term. The median was 140 months (11.7 years). A quarter received 213 months or more, a quarter received 90 months or less, and 2 people received a life sentence. The median across all federal districts, covering 4,971 people, was 120 months, lower than in this district.
Guilty pleas accounted for 24 of 27 cases (89%), all with a written plea agreement. Their median prison term was 120 months. The 3 people convicted after a trial had a median of 470 months.
A mandatory minimum prison term, a floor fixed by statute, applied to 18 people (67%). Within the guideline range were 13 sentences (48%). Below the range at the government's request were 9 (33%), below it without such a request were 4 (15%), and 1 (4%) was above it.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 27, with a median term of 120 months. It was for life in 6 cases (22%). Restitution was ordered for 11 people (41%), and no fines were ordered.
Gaps in Both Records
The court-martial numbers are adjudged sentences, before clemency or appeal, sorted by calendar year of trial. The federal numbers are imposed terms, not time served, sorted by fiscal year (October 1 to September 30).
Federal records show 44% of the district's defendants in criminal history category I and 7% in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. Neither record set describes the offense conduct, and each group here is small.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., 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 District of Columbia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Dist of Columbia") under guideline §2G1.3 (enticement, transportation, and travel offenses involving a minor) plus §2A3.1 to §2A3.4 cases with a child-victim statute (27). 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 District of Columbia, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia (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.