Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia
In the Eastern District of Virginia, 1,058 of 1,240 people sentenced under federal guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 30 months (2.5 years). Courts-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico recorded 10 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft,
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In brief: In the Eastern District of Virginia, 1,058 of 1,240 people sentenced under federal guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 30 months (2.5 years). Courts-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico recorded 10 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud from 2017 to 2025, and 6 of the 10 (60%) included confinement, with a median of 5 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 1,240 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.
Only 10 Convictions at Quantico
The court-martial count here is very small. The records list the trial location as "Marine Corps Base Quantico", "Quantico", or "Quantico, Virginia", and they show 10 convictions for this offense: 9 Marine Corps cases and 1 Navy case.
With 10 cases, each sentence has a large effect on the median and on every percentage. The Quantico figures describe these cases only and do not show a pattern.
What the Quantico Sentences Included
The median adjudged confinement was 5 months, the same as the median for all 626 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data. A quarter of those convicted at Quantico received 10.5 months or more.
Of the 10 enlisted members convicted, 5 (50%) received a punitive discharge: 1 dishonorable discharge and 4 bad-conduct discharges. A general court-martial heard 3 of the 10 cases (30%).
A plea was recorded for 9 convictions, and 6 of those 9 were guilty pleas. The guilty-plea median was 6 months across 5 cases with confinement. Just 1 contested conviction included confinement, a term of 3 months.
Trials in 2016 to 2019 had a median of 8 months (4 cases with confinement). Trials in 2020 to 2025 had a median of 4.5 months (2 cases).
| Courts-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico | Federal court, Eastern District of Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 10 | 1,240 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 60% | 85% |
| Median confinement or prison | 5 months | 30 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 10.5 months | 54 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 6 of 9 with a plea recorded (6 of 9) | 95% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 230 of 1,238 with the information (19%) |
The District Court Is a Separate System
Quantico lies in the Eastern District of Virginia. The 1,240 federal sentences are every §2B1.1 case in that district, not cases from the base. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, and the records do not suggest that any Quantico case would have gone to the district court.
Federal Prison Terms in the Eastern District of Virginia
Probation only was ordered for 98 people (8%). For those sent to prison, a quarter received 12 months or less and a quarter received 54 months or more. The district median of 30 months was higher than the median for all federal districts, 21 months, across 53,639 people.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 230 people (19%).
Of the 1,240, 1,182 (95%) pleaded guilty and 58 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 30 months. After a trial, the median was 63 months, based on 56 people sent to prison. Among the guilty pleas, 97% were under a written plea agreement and 3% were straight pleas.
Where Did Federal Sentences Fall Against the Guidelines?
Within the guideline range: 43% (531). Below the range without a government request: 38% (471). Below the range at the government's request: 16% (194). Above the range: 4% (44).
Restitution was ordered for 1,112 people (90%) and a fine for 58 (5%). Supervised release was ordered for 1,047 (84%), with a median term of 36 months.
Gaps in the Records
The court-martial terms are those adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. The federal terms are those imposed, not the time served. Court-martial years follow trial dates, and federal fiscal years begin October 1.
Federal records show 66% of the district's defendants in criminal history category I and 4% in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. The records also do not show the loss amounts or the facts of the Quantico cases.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, ending in a conviction for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121; federal guideline §2B1.1) (10). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Eastern District of Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Virginia East") under primary guideline §2B1.1 (theft, embezzlement, fraud, and property damage) (1,240). 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 Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (other installations)
- 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.