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# Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 80, 2021–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-and-article-80-charged-together/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:28:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:47.000Z
- Description: Navy and Marine Corps records hold 24 courts-martial from 2021–2026 that charged both Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 80 (attempt). Half of the confinement terms were 6 years or less, compared with a 4 years median in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 120b, Article 80, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 120b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) › Navy-Marine Corps, with Article 80

**Short answer:** Navy and Marine Corps records hold 24 courts-martial from 2021–2026 that charged both Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 80 (attempt). Half of the confinement terms were 6 years or less, compared with a 4 years median in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases. A punitive discharge followed 95% of enlisted convictions, compared with 97%.

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

## Attempt Charges in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Article 80 covers attempts to commit an offense. In these 24 cases, it was charged together with Article 120b. Every case had at least one charge besides Article 120b. Besides Article 80, the other charges seen most often were Article 134 (general article) in 13 cases, Article 82 (solicitation) in 4, Article 128 (assault) in 3, and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 2.

In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, 38 of 117 charged Article 120b by itself.

## How Long Were the Confinement Terms?

Confinement was part of 91% of the 22 convictions. The median confinement was 6 years. For all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, the median was 4 years. A quarter of the terms here were 15 years or longer.

Terms of 5 years or more made up 11 of the 22 convictions (50%), compared with 48% for all Article 120b cases. Confinement of more than one year overall came in 15 of 22 convictions (68%), slightly less often than the 72% for all Article 120b cases. No conviction carried under 6 months. Another 5 convictions (23%) carried 6 months to 1 year, and 2 (9%) carried no confinement, compared with 4%. The band from more than 1 year to under 5 years held 4 convictions (18%), compared with 25%.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers all charges in the case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 120b cases |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 2           | 9%         | 4%                                                   |
| Under 6 months                  | 0           | 0%         | 6%                                                   |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 5           | 23%        | 18%                                                  |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4           | 18%        | 25%                                                  |
| 5 years or more                 | 11          | 50%        | 48%                                                  |

## Dishonorable Discharges

Of 20 convicted enlisted members, 19 received a punitive discharge. Of those, 15 were dishonorable discharges and 4 were bad-conduct discharges. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, the share was 97%.

A dishonorable discharge can only be adjudged by a general court-martial. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Pleas

The plea is listed in 23 of the 24 records. Of those, 16 accused pleaded guilty and 7 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 30%, was the same as in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases.

The records do not say why any accused pleaded guilty, and they do not include the terms of plea agreements.

## NCOs Were the Larger Group

Of the accused, 10 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 12 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 0 were officers or warrant officers. The group is more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, where 54% were junior enlisted.

## Court Level

General courts-martial heard 22 of the 24 cases (92%). Special courts-martial heard the rest. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement 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.

## Years and Installations

The 24 cases were tried between January 2021 and April 2026\. By year, there were 8 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, and 4 in 2026\. The 2026 count is a partial year.

San Diego, California, Jacksonville, Florida, Quantico, Virginia, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 3 cases each. Norfolk, Virginia tried 2\. These five installations account for 58% of the 24 cases. No single installation tried more than 3\. Installations with more personnel try more cases of all kinds.

## Rules and Gaps in the Data

Article 120b is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether covered offenses go to trial. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, a military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which the records do not give.

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not part of these counts.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 120b on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with trial dates in 2021–2026 that charged both Article 120b and Article 80 (24 cases), compared with all 117 Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases in those years.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Article 80 (Attempts): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-80-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/)
- [Army Cases Charging Both Article 120b and Article 128](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-128-charged-together/)
- [Army Cases Charging Both Article 120b and Article 128b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-128b-charged-together/)
- [Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/)
- [Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 92, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-92-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b With Article 131b in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-131b-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b With Article 80 in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-80-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

**Compare: federal court.** [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sexual-abuse-enticement-vs-article-120b/)

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.