Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington
Courts-martial tried at Bremerton, Washington recorded 18 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 from 2016 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 6 months. In the Western District of Washington, 426 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1 in fisca
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 8 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss › Theft and Fraud: Bremerton
In brief: Courts-martial tried at Bremerton, Washington recorded 18 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 from 2016 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 6 months. In the Western District of Washington, 426 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 18 months among those sent to prison. The federal figures cover the entire district, and most of those people were not service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 426 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.
Who Is in Each Group?
The federal numbers here are not Bremerton cases. They include every person sentenced under the federal theft, embezzlement, fraud, and property damage guideline anywhere in the Western District of Washington. Bremerton is inside that district, but the federal group is mostly civilians.
The military group is small. It counts convictions where the records list the trial location as "Bremerton" or "Bremerton, Washington". Of the 18 convictions, 15 were Navy cases and 3 were Marine Corps cases.
Nothing in either set of records shows that a Bremerton case would have gone to the district court. The courts handle different people under different laws.
Confinement at Bremerton Courts-Martial
Confinement was part of 11 of the 18 sentences, or 61%. The median adjudged confinement was 6 months. A quarter of those convicted received 12 months or more.
Punitive discharges went to 7 of the 18 enlisted members convicted (39%). That total was 1 dishonorable discharge and 6 bad-conduct discharges. Only 6 of the 18 convictions (33%) came from a general court-martial, the most serious level of military trial court.
Split by trial year, the median was 6 months for 2016 to 2019 (6 cases with confinement) and 12 months for 2020 to 2025 (5 cases). Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Courts-martial at Bremerton | Federal court, Western District of Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 18 | 426 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 61% | 72% |
| Median confinement or prison | 6 months | 18 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 12 months | 38 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 15 of 18 with a plea recorded (83%) | 95% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 74 of 423 with the information (17%) |
What Federal Sentences Looked Like in the District
In the district, 305 of the 426 people (72%) received a prison term. Another 105 (25%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 38 months or more, and a quarter received 5 months or less.
The district median of 18 months was lower than the median for all federal districts, which was 21 months across 53,639 people. Across all courts-martial for this offense, the data show 626 convictions and a median confinement of 5 months.
Below the Guideline Range at the Government's Request
Federal judges start from a guideline range calculated for each case. In this district, 44% of sentences (186) were below the range at the government's request. The records do not give the reason for the request.
Another 28% (121) were below the range without a government request. Only 27% (115) fell within the range, and less than 1% (4) were above it. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 74 people (17%).
Pleas, Trials, and Orders After Prison
Guilty pleas were the norm on both sides. At Bremerton, 15 of the 18 convictions with a plea recorded (83%) were guilty pleas. In the district, 406 of 426 (95%) pleaded guilty, and more than 99% of those pleas came with a written plea agreement.
Federal sentences after a trial were longer: a median of 60 months for the 19 people convicted at trial and sent to prison, against 18 months after a guilty plea. At Bremerton, the 2 contested convictions with confinement had a median of 60.5 months, which is too few cases to compare.
Restitution was ordered for 374 federal defendants (88%) and a fine for 28 (7%). Supervised release followed prison for 289 people (68%), with a median term of 36 months.
Limits of These Records
Court-martial confinement is the sentence adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Court-martial years follow the trial date. Federal years are fiscal years, October 1 to September 30.
Federal records place 69% of the district's defendants in criminal history category I and 7% in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. Neither source shows the dollar amount in a given Bremerton case or the reasons behind any sentence.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Bremerton, Washington, ending in a conviction for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121; federal guideline §2B1.1) (18). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") under primary guideline §2B1.1 (theft, embezzlement, fraud, and property damage) (426). 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.
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)
- Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial (overview)
- Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Courts-Martial at Bremerton 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 (same installation)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (other installations)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (other installations)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Fort Hood vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas (other installations)
- Theft and Fraud: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Theft and Fraud: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Theft and Fraud: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 121 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Fighting an Army Larceny Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Army Larceny Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Air Force Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Larceny Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 121 in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- How Has Article 121 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017? (court-martial data)
- Article 121 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 121 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Larceny Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Article 121 (Larceny): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 121 UCMJ: Larceny and Wrongful Appropriation (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.