Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia
All 10 courts-martial convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 at the Washington Navy Yard from 2016 to 2025 were guilty pleas, and the median adjudged confinement was 5 months. In the District of Columbia, 384 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1 in fisca
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In brief: All 10 courts-martial convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 at the Washington Navy Yard from 2016 to 2025 were guilty pleas, and the median adjudged confinement was 5 months. In the District of Columbia, 384 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 18 months for those sent to prison. The federal numbers are for the whole district, and most of those cases did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 384 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.
Every Conviction Followed a Guilty Plea
A plea was recorded for each of the 10 convictions, and each one was a guilty plea (100%). The records therefore contain no contested conviction for this offense at this location.
In federal court, guilty pleas were also the usual route: 360 of the 384 (94%) pleaded guilty, and 24 were convicted after a trial. More than 99% of those guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The federal median prison term was 16 months after a guilty plea. After a trial it was 52 months, based on all 24 people convicted at trial, each of whom was sent to prison.
Which Courts-Martial Are Counted
The records list the trial location as "Fort McNair", "Washington Navy Yard", or "Washington, D.C". The 10 convictions include 8 Navy cases and 2 Army cases.
This is a very small group. A single sentence can change the median or a percentage by a wide margin, so these figures describe these cases and not a pattern.
Sentences at the Washington Navy Yard
Confinement was part of 8 of the 10 sentences (80%). The median of 5 months is the same as the median for all 626 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data. A quarter received 6 months or more.
Of the 9 enlisted members convicted, 3 received a bad-conduct discharge, and there were 0 dishonorable discharges. The records also include 1 officer, who was dismissed.
A general court-martial heard 5 of the 10 cases (50%). The median confinement was 5 months both for trials in 2016 to 2019 and for trials in 2020 to 2025, with 4 cases with confinement in each period.
| Courts-martial at Washington Navy Yard | Federal court, District of Columbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 10 | 384 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 80% | 70% |
| Median confinement or prison | 5 months | 18 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 6 months | 36 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 10 of 10 with a plea recorded (100%) | 94% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 13 of 384 with the information (3%) |
How the District of Columbia Is Different
The Washington Navy Yard is in the federal District of Columbia, but the 384 federal sentences are not Navy Yard cases. They are every §2B1.1 sentence in the district, and most involved civilians. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not the district court.
Federal records place 82% of the district's defendants in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 1% in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the 2 groups cannot be compared on prior records.
Federal Prison, Probation, and the Guideline Range
Prison was imposed on 268 of the 384 (70%), and 65 (17%) received probation only. A quarter of prison terms were 6.8 months or less, and a quarter were 36 months or more. The 18-month district median is lower than the 21-month median for all federal districts, which sentenced 53,639 people.
Of 383 sentences with the information, 39% (151) were within the guideline range, 31% (120) were below it without a government request, 28% (108) were below it at the government's request, and 1% (4) were above it.
A mandatory minimum applied to 13 people (3%). Restitution was ordered for 318 (83%), a fine for 39 (10%), and supervised release for 252 (66%), with a median term of 36 months.
Limits of the Comparison
The court-martial sentences are as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. The federal terms are as imposed, not as served. Federal fiscal years run October 1 to September 30, and the court-martial years follow trial dates.
Neither source describes the facts of a case or the amount of money involved.
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 larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121; federal guideline §2B1.1) (10). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the District of Columbia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Dist of Columbia") under primary guideline §2B1.1 (theft, embezzlement, fraud, and property damage) (384). 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 District of Columbia, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia (same installation)
- 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.