Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 16 Cases
Nellis AFB, Nevada held 16 courts-martial from 2024–2026. Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge (90%), compared with 62% Air Force-wide.
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Trends › By Installation › Nellis AFB, Nevada › 2024–2026
Short answer: Nellis AFB, Nevada held 16 courts-martial from 2024–2026. Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge (90%), compared with 62% Air Force-wide. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Air Force, and 64% of cases with a plea recorded were contested.
Punitive Discharges for 9 of 10 Enlisted Members
Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 9 left with a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The share, 90%, compares with 62% across the Air Force. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed.
In 2019–2023 the punitive discharge rate at Nellis was 72%.
A Median Sentence of 1.5 Years
Of the 16 cases, 11 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 7 of those sentences (64%). The median confinement was 1.5 years. In the rest of the Air Force it was 6 months.
In 2019–2023 the median at Nellis was 6 months. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in its case.
Contested Cases and Acquittals
Pleas are recorded for 11 of the 16 cases: 4 guilty pleas and 7 contested cases. The contested share, 64%, compares with 43% in the rest of the Air Force. A contested case means a not-guilty or mixed plea.
Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. In 2019–2023, 7 of 13 did.
Sexual Offenses and the General Article
Charges are listed for 15 of the 16 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 134 (the general article) and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) were each charged in 4 cases (27%). The Article 120 share compares with 13% Air Force-wide.
Article 121 (larceny), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), Article 112a (drug use or possession), and Article 128b (domestic violence) were each charged in 2 cases (13%). Article 120c and Article 131 (perjury) were each charged in 1.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 27% | 24% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 27% | 13% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 13% | 8% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 13% | 20% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 13% | 15% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 1 | 7% | 3% |
| Art. 131 Perjury | 1 | 7% | 0% |
Panels, Rank, and Court Level
A military judge alone decided guilt in 10 cases. Members heard the rest: 5 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Members heard 38% of the cases, compared with 28% Air Force-wide. The accused usually makes this choice.
The accused were 10 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 5 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. That is more junior than Air Force-wide, where 58% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial made up 69% of the cases (11 of 16).
Compared With 2019–2023
Nellis had 46 cases in 2019–2023, about 9 a year, and about 6 a year since. The contested share went from 42% to 64%. The general court-martial share went from 52% to 69%. Small groups change with a few cases, so these figures show direction, not precision.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 46 | 16 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 42% | 64% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 13 | 2 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 84% | 64% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 1.5 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 72% | 90% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 69% |
Ramstein AB and McConnell AFB
Ramstein AB, Germany tried 20 cases in the same years and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 21. Ramstein had a median confinement of 9 months and a punitive discharge rate of 65%. McConnell had a median of 3 months and a rate of 44%. Nellis had the longest median and the highest rate of the 3.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nellis AFB, Nevada | 16 | 64% | 2 of 7 | 1.5 years | 90% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
New Rules and What the Records Omit
The cases ran from June 2024 to April 2026: 7 in 2024, 6 in 2025, and 3 in 2026, a partial year. They are 3% of the 598 Air Force courts-martial in those years.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied to each case, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Nellis AFB, Nevada with a trial date in 2024–2026 (16 cases), compared with all 598 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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
- Nellis AFB, Nevada: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 30 Cases (another period)
- What Was Tried at Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2019–2023? 46 Courts-Martial (another period)
- Eglin AFB, Florida Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 17 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 15 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Did Drug Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada Change After 2019?
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2024–2026
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
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.