13 Obstruction Courts-Martial at Norfolk, Virginia, 2014–2018: What the Records Show

Trends › By Installation › Norfolk, Virginia › Article 131b, 2014–2018

Based on 13 cases · 2014–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Length of Confinement

Of the 12 convictions, 11 included confinement. The median was 1.1 years, close to the 1 year for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases in 2014–2018. Among the sentences with confinement, a quarter were 4 years or longer.

These figures are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A sentence covers every charge in the case. In these cases, that often included assault or a false official statement.

Obstruction Was Charged With Other Offenses

Article 128 (assault) appeared in 7 of the 13 cases. Article 107 (false official statement) appeared in 4. Article 112a (drug) and Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 2 each, and Article 131 (perjury) in 1.

General Courts-Martial Tried Most Cases

General courts-martial tried 9 of the 13 cases (69%), compared with 50% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases service-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Discharges After a Conviction

Of the 12 enlisted members convicted, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (75%). That is about the same as the 72% for Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases overall. Of the 9, 3 were dishonorable discharges. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank of the Accused

The accused were 6 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 7 NCOs (E-5 to E-9). No officers or warrant officers were charged. Service-wide, 52% of the accused in Article 131b cases were junior enlisted, so the Norfolk group was more senior.

Pleas

Among the records that list a plea, 10 accused pleaded guilty and 3 contested at least one charge. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 23%, about the same as the 22% service-wide. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these counts use only the records that list it.

Timing and Limits

The cases were tried from April 2014 to July 2018: 2 in 2014, 2 in 2015, 4 in 2016, 2 in 2017, and 3 in 2018. They were 5% of the 256 courts-martial at Norfolk, Virginia in 2014–2018. All came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they do not include cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences

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.