Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases: What Happened at Trial

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Based on 232 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

A Full Acquittal Was the Most Common Outcome

From January 2017 to October 2025, the Navy and Marine Corps records hold 232 courts-martial in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge that included Article 120, sexual assault. None of these cases involved a guilty plea.

Full acquittals (not guilty of every charge) ended 54% of those cases. That rate was much higher than the 31% across all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases. Partial acquittals were less common here: 23 cases. In a partial acquittal, the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

Convictions Carried Long Sentences

Of the 106 cases that ended in a conviction on at least one charge, 77 included confinement (73%). The median confinement was 2 years, compared with 7 months for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases overall.

Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 52 of 106 convictions (49%), compared with 24% in the comparison group. Of the convictions, 29% were between 1 and 5 years and 20% were 5 years or more, compared with 16% and 8% across contested cases. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable

A punitive discharge was part of the sentence in 66% of enlisted convictions. That was higher than the 50% across contested Navy and Marine Corps cases. Of these discharges, 49 were dishonorable discharges and 14 were bad-conduct discharges.

Among officers or warrant officers, 6 were convicted and 4 were sentenced to dismissal, the officer form of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Nearly Every Case Was a General Court-Martial

General courts-martial made up 91% of these cases (212 of 232). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Special courts-martial handled the other 20. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge.

Sentences differed by court level. At general courts-martial, 76% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2 years. At special courts-martial, 50% did, with a median of 3 months.

Most Cases Also Charged Assault

Article 120 was the only charge in 35 of the 232 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 159, more than any other charge. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) appeared in 29, Article 80 (attempt) in 27, Article 134 (general article) in 17, and Article 107 (false official statement) in 14.

A sentence covers every charge. The figures above therefore describe whole cases, not the sexual assault charge alone.

Who Was Tried and Where

Among the accused with rank recorded, 104 were junior enlisted, 99 were NCOs, and 17 were officers. That rank mix was similar to contested Navy and Marine Corps cases overall.

Norfolk, Virginia, had the most cases, with 44. San Diego, California, had 30; Bremerton, Washington, 21; and Yokosuka, Japan, and Pensacola, Florida, 19 each. Those five locations had 57% of the 232 cases. Locations with large fleet populations try more cases of every type, so a high count does not show a problem at any one location.

Yearly Counts and Gaps in Older Records

There were 32 cases in 2017, 32 in 2018, 35 in 2019, 20 in 2020, 42 in 2021, 15 in 2022, 24 in 2023, 19 in 2024, and 13 in 2025. The records cannot explain the changes.

Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. The contested counts use only the records that list one. That limits comparisons between the early years and the later ones. The records also give trial dates, not offense dates, so a case tried in 2021 may involve conduct from years before.

Changes in the Law and Missing Information

Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense happened. Article 120 is also a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it. For offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new parameters. The records give trial dates only, so trials from 2024 on include both old-rule and new-rule cases.

Allegations resolved through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.

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.

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.