Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 80 Cases: What Happened at Trial
In 73 contested Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2017–2025 that included an Article 80 (attempt) charge, 13 ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 31% across all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases.
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Short answer: In 73 contested Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2017–2025 that included an Article 80 (attempt) charge, 13 ended in a full acquittal (18%), compared with 31% across all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases. The median adjudged confinement was 1.8 years, compared with 7 months in all contested cases.
Most Contested Attempt Cases Ended in a Conviction
Every case in this post was contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, and every case included an attempt charge under Article 80. Attempt cases in this group ended in a full acquittal less often than contested cases in general.
Of 73 contested cases that reached a verdict, 13 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge (18%). Across all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases, the full-acquittal rate was 31%. Another 8 cases ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.
Other Charges in the Same Cases
The other charges show what kinds of attempts these were. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 27 cases, Article 128 (assault) in 24, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 24, Article 134 (the general article) in 15, and Article 112a (drug offenses) in 6. Only 11 of the 73 cases charged Article 80 by itself.
A sentence covers every charge. Many of these cases also charged sexual offenses against adults or children, so the figures below are not for the attempt charge alone.
Long Confinement After Conviction
Of the 60 convictions, 80% included confinement. The median confinement was 1.8 years, compared with 7 months across all contested cases. A quarter of the sentences were 5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Sentences longer than one year followed 31 of 60 convictions (52%), compared with 24% in all contested cases. The band above 1 year and under 5 years had 30%, compared with 16%. Another 13 convictions (22%) were 5 years or more, compared with 8%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 12 | 20% | 34% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 17% | 28% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 12% | 14% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 18 | 30% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 13 | 22% | 8% |
Short Sentences Were Less Common
Only 12 convictions (20%) carried no confinement, compared with 34% across all contested cases. Sentences under 6 months made up 17%, compared with 28%. The band from 6 months to 1 year was about the same in both groups: 12% compared with 14%.
Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial
Of the 73 cases, 63 were tried at a general court-martial and 10 at a special court-martial. The general court-martial share, 86%, compares 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.
The median confinement was 2.3 years at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial.
Discharges and a More Senior Group
A punitive discharge followed 80% of enlisted convictions, compared with 50% in all contested cases. Of those, 32 were dishonorable and 9 were bad-conduct discharges. Among 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
By rank, the accused included 26 junior enlisted members, 37 NCOs, and 6 officers. This group was more senior than all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Timeline and Installations
The trials took place from May 2017 to October 2025: 5 in 2017, 9 in 2018, 11 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 12 in 2021, 6 in 2022, 5 in 2023, 7 in 2024, and 11 in 2025.
San Diego, California (8), Bremerton, Washington (7), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (7), Jacksonville, Florida (6), and Yokosuka, Japan (6) had the most cases. Together they account for 47% of the cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not show a problem at any one base.
Legal Changes Over These Years
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. It set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the judge sentences within new sentencing parameters.
The later rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. Trials from 2024 on include cases under both the old and the new rules. The records cannot show whether any change affected verdicts or sentences here.
The Limits of Trial Records
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so earlier contested cases with no plea listed are not counted here.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 80 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 tried 2017–2025: where the accused contested a charge under Article 80 (attempt) (73 cases), compared with all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years.
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 80 (Attempts): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Offense (hub)
- Fewer or More? Attempt Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025
- Article 80 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
- Pleading Guilty to Article 80 in the Navy-Marine Corps: What Sentences Followed?
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 80 Cases Acquitted? (another service)
- Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps AWOL Charge: How Contested Cases Ended
- Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Charge: How Contested Cases Ended
- Article 80 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.