How Navy-Marine Corps False Official Statement Cases Ended in 2020
All 44 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial that charged Article 107 (false official statement) in 2020 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of the cases with a plea on record, only 12% were contested, compared with 30% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 107 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2020
Short answer: All 44 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial that charged Article 107 (false official statement) in 2020 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of the cases with a plea on record, only 12% were contested, compared with 30% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases. Of convicted enlisted members, 67% received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% overall.
Punitive Discharges Were More Common Than Overall
Of 43 convicted enlisted members, 29 received a punitive discharge: 24 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. That share, 67%, was higher than the 62% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2020.
For an enlisted member, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. There was also 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was not sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge, so the 5 dishonorable discharges here came from general courts-martial. Most of the punitive discharges were bad-conduct discharges, which either court level can impose.
Pleas in the Records
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. Only 16 of the 44 records here list one. Of those, 14 were guilty pleas and 2 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge.
The contested share was 12%, compared with 30% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020. Neither of the 2 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Many records do not list a plea, so the contested figure covers only part of the year's cases.
Confinement in Most Convictions
Confinement was part of 39 of the 44 sentences (89%). The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the overall median for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020.
More sentences than usual were from 6 months to 1 year: 14 convictions (32%), compared with 23% overall. Sentences of more than 1 year and less than 5 years were 11 convictions (25%), compared with 20%. No sentence was 5 years or more. Across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions, 6% were.
In total, 11 of 44 convictions (25%) were longer than one year, about the same as the 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 11% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 14 | 32% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 14 | 32% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 11 | 25% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 6% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
Special courts-martial handled 28 of the 44 cases, and general courts-martial handled 16. The general court-martial share, 36%, was lower than the 41% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020.
At general courts-martial, 94% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.7 years. At special courts-martial, 86% did, with a median of 5 months. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
Drug Charges Were the Most Common Additional Charge
Article 107 was the only charge in 4 of the 44 cases. Article 112a (drug) was charged with it in 14 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 13, Article 131b (obstruction) in 10, Article 134 (general article) in 7, and Article 128 (assault) in 6.
Each sentence covers all of the convictions in a case. The confinement and discharge figures include these other charges.
Changes Since 2019
The number of cases rose from 32 in 2019 to 44 in 2020. Convictions with confinement went from 67% to 89%. The median confinement went from 8 months to 6 months. The contested share among recorded pleas went from 25% to 12%.
Enlisted punitive discharges went from 62% to 67%. The general court-martial share went from 44% to 36%. In groups this size, a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction, not precise trends. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 3 in 2019 to 0 of 2 in 2020. Those counts are too small to compare as rates.
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 32 | 44 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 25% | 12% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 |
| Convictions with confinement | 67% | 89% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 62% | 67% |
| General courts-martial | 44% | 36% |
Who Was Charged and Where
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 68% of the accused, NCOs 30%, and officers 2%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2020, the junior enlisted share was 64%. This group was a little more junior.
MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, and Yokosuka, Japan, each tried 5 of these cases. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Camp Pendleton, California tried 4 each, and Norfolk, Virginia tried 3. Together they account for 48% of the 44 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What These Records Leave Out
Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. False statements handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 107 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2020 that charged Article 107 (44 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2019.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 107 (False Official Statements): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 107 Cases in 2019 (previous / next)
- False Official Statement at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- How Has Article 107 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017? (the full trend)
- False Official Statement at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017: The Year in Numbers
- False Official Statement at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers
- How Navy-Marine Corps False Official Statement Cases Ended in 2024
- Article 107 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
- Article 107 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.