Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Charge: How Contested Cases Ended

Trends › By Offense › Article 120b › Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexua

Based on 59 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

The Full-Acquittal Rate Was About the Same as Other Contested Cases

This page covers only cases in which the accused contested a child sexual abuse charge by pleading not guilty to at least one charge. No guilty pleas are included. Of the 59 contested cases that reached a verdict, 19 ended in a full acquittal (not guilty of every charge), a full-acquittal rate of 32%. Across all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in the same years, the rate was 31%.

Another 7 cases ended in a partial acquittal, where the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. The records show 40 convictions on at least one charge.

Sentences After a Conviction

The full-acquittal rate was about the same as other contested cases, but the sentences were much longer. Of 40 convictions, 33 included confinement, and the median confinement was 3.2 years. In all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases, it was 7 months.

A quarter of the confinement sentences were 10 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence. Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 25 of 40 convictions (62%), compared with 24% in all contested cases. Terms of 5 years or more made up 38% of convictions, compared with 8%. Terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years made up 25%, compared with 16%. Only 18% included no confinement, compared with 34%.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.

Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable

For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of 36 convicted enlisted members, 34 received one: 8 bad-conduct discharges and 26 dishonorable discharges. That 94% compares with 50% in all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases.

All 3 convicted officers or warrant officers in this group were sentenced to dismissal, the officer equivalent. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Nearly All Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Of the 59 cases, 56 were general courts-martial (95%), compared with 53% in all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The long terms here could therefore come only from general courts-martial.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Article 120b was the only charge in 12 of the 59 cases. Article 120 sexual assault was also charged in 29 cases, Article 80 attempts in 24, Article 128 assault in 22, Article 134 the general article in 9, and Article 131b obstruction in 4.

Attempt charges were common. The verdict and sentence cover every charge, so the outcomes here describe the whole case, not the child sexual abuse charge alone.

Most of the Accused Were NCOs

NCOs made up 66% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 21%, and officers 12%. Across all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases, junior enlisted members were 49%. The accused here were much more senior.

The records give rank at trial but not years of service. They cannot show how long the career was for any convicted member or what benefits were at stake.

Where and When

Jacksonville, Florida, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, had 9 cases each. Bremerton, Washington, had 8; Norfolk, Virginia, 6; and Yokosuka, Japan, 5. Together they account for 63% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a higher count is not by itself a sign of a local problem.

Cases were tried from May 2017 through August 2025. There were 3 in 2017, 14 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 6 in 2020, 7 in 2021, and 5 in each year from 2022 through 2025. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so earlier counts use only records that list one.

Rule Changes During These Years

The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. It set fixed panel sizes and brought in written plea agreements. Cases with offenses before 2019 kept the old rules. Article 120b is a covered offense, so since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Each of these rules depends on the offense date, which the records do not give. The records also do not include the evidence, plea terms, or anything handled outside a court-martial. The data cannot show whether any rule change affected these outcomes.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120b on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b 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.