Larceny at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 121 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2018

Based on 54 cases · 2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

A Conviction in Every Case

The records hold 54 larceny cases from 2018 and 54 convictions. Of those convictions, 49 included confinement (91%).

Plea information is limited. Only 20 of the 54 records list a plea, and all 20 were guilty pleas. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so the remaining cases cannot be sorted into guilty pleas and contested trials. For all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018, 28% were contested.

A conviction in every case does not mean every charge was proven. The records count a conviction on at least one charge, and they do not list which specifications, if any, ended in not guilty findings.

Sentences Shorter Than the Service Median

The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 7 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. A quarter of the terms were 1 year or longer.

These are adjudged sentences: what the court imposed at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A sentence covers every charge in a case. The conspiracy, false statement, and other charges filed with larceny are included.

Sentences by Court Level

Of the 54 cases, 35 were special courts-martial and 19 were general courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 35%, compared with 45% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge; a general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

At general courts-martial, 89% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.5 years. At special courts-martial, 91% included confinement, and the median was 5 months.

Most Terms Were a Year or Less

Most convictions included a year or less of confinement: 20 (37%) under 6 months and 18 (33%) from 6 months to 1 year. Both shares were higher than the 32% and 23% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases.

11 of 54 convictions (20%) included more than one year of confinement, less often than the 30% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. That group included 9 between 1 and 5 years and 2 at 5 years or more. Another 5 convictions (9%) had no confinement.

Discharges and a Dismissal

70% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 32 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. That compares with 66% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018. A bad-conduct discharge is the less severe punitive discharge and is the only one a special court-martial can impose.

The records show 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation afterward.

Rank of the Accused

By rank, the accused were 36 junior enlisted members, 17 NCOs, and 1 officer. This group is more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018.

The records do not break down sentences by rank for this group, so they cannot show whether junior enlisted members and NCOs received different terms or discharges.

Conspiracy and False Statement Charges

Article 121 was charged alone in 10 of the 54 cases. The most common other charges were Article 81 (conspiracy) in 16, Article 107 (false official statement) in 15, Article 92 (orders violation) and Article 112a (drug) in 8 each, and Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019) in 6.

Changes From 2017

There were 46 cases in 2017 and 54 in 2018. Median confinement was 10 months in 2017 and 6 months in 2018. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 79% to 70%. Convictions with confinement went from 89% to 91%, and the general court-martial share went from 30% to 35%.

The recorded contested share was 0% in both years, but each year has only a small set of plea records. In groups this size, a few cases can change the figures, so the changes show direction only.

Where, and What Is Missing

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 17 of these cases, Camp Pendleton, California had 8, Norfolk, Virginia had 7, Okinawa, Japan had 5, and Jacksonville, Florida had 2. Those installations account for 72% of the 54 cases. Larger bases try more cases of every kind.

These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, so its fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply. The records give no offense dates, evidence, or plea terms. They omit larceny handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 121 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.