Navy-Marine Corps Cases Charging Both Article 107 and Article 121

Trends › By Offense › Article 107 › Navy-Marine Corps, with Article 121

Based on 35 cases · 2021–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

No Full Acquittals

Of the 12 contested cases that reached a verdict, 0 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 107 cases from 2021–2026, 7% of contested cases with a verdict ended that way.

In 3 of the 12 contested cases, the accused was found not guilty of some charges and guilty of others. That result is a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another.

Guilty Pleas Outnumbered Contested Cases

The plea is listed in 33 of the 35 records. Of those, 21 accused pleaded guilty and 12 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 36%, was lower than the 44% for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 107 cases. The records do not show the reasons behind any plea, and they do not include the terms of plea agreements.

Confinement Terms

There were 34 convictions, and 23 of them included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, close to the 6 months for Navy and Marine Corps Article 107 cases overall. A quarter of the terms were 10 months or longer.

Confinement of more than one year was less common here: 4 of 34 convictions (12%), compared with 16% for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 107 cases. No confinement and confinement under 6 months each account for 11 convictions (32%). Another 8 convictions (24%) carried 6 months to 1 year.

These are adjudged sentences, the sentences announced at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal can lower them later. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.

Bad-Conduct Discharges Were the Usual Punitive Discharge

Of 33 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a punitive discharge. Of those, 14 were bad-conduct discharges and 3 were dishonorable discharges. In Navy and Marine Corps Article 107 cases overall, the punitive discharge share was 55%.

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member, or a dismissal for an officer. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Mostly Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial heard 26% of these cases (9 of 35). Special courts-martial heard the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone. That form caps confinement at six months and allows no punitive discharge.

Who Was Charged

NCOs made up 55% of the accused and junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 45%. No officers appear. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 107 cases, junior enlisted members were 59% of the accused.

Besides larceny, the most frequent other charges were Article 92 (orders violation) in 12 cases, Article 112a (drug) in 5, Article 86 (AWOL) in 5, and Article 134 (general article) in 5. None of the 35 cases charged Article 107 alone.

Years and Installations

The cases run from January 2021 through June 2026. By year, there were 15 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 5 in 2023, 4 in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 2 in 2026. The 2026 count is a partial year.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 11 cases, more than any other installation. MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina and San Diego, California tried 3 each, and Bremerton, Washington and Okinawa, Japan tried 2 each. These five account for 60% of the 35 cases. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds.

Limits of the Records

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, a military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. Both changes depend on the offense date.

The records list trial dates only, so they cannot show which rules applied to a case. They also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.

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.

Compare: federal court. Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial

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.