Sexual Assault at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers
In 2019, 60 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 120 (sexual assault). Where a plea was recorded, 83% of these cases were contested, compared with 28% for the service. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 60% ended in a full acquittal.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2019
Short answer: In 2019, 60 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 120 (sexual assault). Where a plea was recorded, 83% of these cases were contested, compared with 28% for the service. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 60% ended in a full acquittal. The median confinement after a conviction was 3 years, compared with 6 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Most Contested Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal
Of the 35 contested cases that reached a verdict, 21 ended in a full acquittal (not guilty of every charge). That is a 60% full-acquittal rate, higher than the 55% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019.
A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In this group, contested cases ended in a full acquittal more often than in a conviction.
How the Accused Pleaded
A plea appears in 42 of the 60 records. Of those, 35 were not-guilty or mixed pleas and 7 were guilty pleas. That is a contested share of 83%. The figure for all Navy and Marine Corps cases was 28%.
Records from before December 2020 often omit the plea. The share does not include the cases where the plea is unknown.
Sentences After a Conviction
Only 33 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and confinement was part of 88% of those sentences. The median confinement was 3 years. For all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019, it was 6 months. A quarter of the terms were 12 years or longer.
Each figure is an adjudged sentence: the punishment set at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. It covers every charge in the case.
Long Terms Were Common
Of the 33 convictions, 24 (73%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 24% across the service. Of those, 12 were between 1 and 5 years and 12 were 5 years or more. Only 5% of all Navy and Marine Corps convictions were 5 years or more.
Few sentences were short. There were 2 convictions with under 6 months and 3 with 6 months to 1 year. Another 4 included no confinement. More than one year is possible only at a general court-martial. A special court-martial is capped at one year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 12% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 2 | 6% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 9% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 12 | 36% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 12 | 36% | 5% |
Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable
Of 31 convicted enlisted members, 27 received a punitive discharge (87%), compared with 60% for the service. Of the 27, 24 were dishonorable discharges, the more severe kind. A dishonorable discharge is available only at a general court-martial.
The records show 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was sentenced to dismissal, the officer counterpart to a punitive discharge. A sentence without a discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level and Rank
General courts-martial handled 57 of the 60 cases (95%), compared with 43% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. Among the accused with rank recorded, 29 were junior enlisted, 23 were NCOs, and 2 were officers. That rank mix was similar to all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year.
Other Charges
Article 120 was the only charge in 7 of the 60 cases. Article 128 (assault) was also charged in 46, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 16, Article 80 (attempt) in 14, Article 134 (general article) in 7, and Article 107 (false official statement) in 4.
Little Change From 2018
The number of cases went from 77 in 2018 to 60 in 2019. The contested share was about the same: 82% and then 83%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 87% in both years. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 16 of 32 to 21 of 35. Median confinement went from 3.3 years to 3 years.
The general court-martial share went from 91% to 95%. These are small groups, so a few cases can change a number. The comparison shows direction only.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 77 | 60 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 82% | 83% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 16 of 32 | 21 of 35 |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 3.3 years | 3 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 87% | 87% |
| General courts-martial | 91% | 95% |
Installations, the 2019 Amendment, and Missing Information
Norfolk, Virginia, tried 15 of these cases, more than any other installation. Okinawa, Japan, tried 8; Pensacola, Florida, 5; and San Diego, California, and Yokosuka, Japan, 4 each. Together they account for 60% of the 60 cases. Large installations try more cases of all kinds.
Article 120 was amended for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense occurred. The records list trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which version applied. They also do not include the evidence, plea terms, or anything resolved by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 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 2019 that charged Article 120 (60 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2018.
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 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Sexual Assault at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases in 2020 (previous / next)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2017
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2021
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2023
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2024
- S2 E1: Article 120 Dismissal & the Aftermath (podcast, members)
- Article 120 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 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.