> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # General Article Charges at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-article-134-2019-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:34:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-28T08:29:04.000Z - Description: Norfolk, Virginia tried 26 courts-martial charging Article 134 (the general article) from 2019–2023. NCOs made up 60% of the accused and junior enlisted members 24%, compared with 61% junior enlisted service-wide. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Norfolk, Virginia, Article 134, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Norfolk, Virginia](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-norfolk-virginia/) › Article 134, 2019–2023 **Short answer:** Norfolk, Virginia tried 26 courts-martial charging Article 134 (the general article) from 2019–2023\. NCOs made up 60% of the accused and junior enlisted members 24%, compared with 61% junior enlisted service-wide. The median adjudged confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 1.5 years across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases. Based on 26 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Most of the Accused Were NCOs This post covers every court-martial at Norfolk, Virginia from 2019 through 2023 that charged Article 134, the general article. Article 134 covers conduct not listed elsewhere in the code. The main difference between this group and the service is rank. NCOs made up 60% of the accused, officers 16%, and junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 24%. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases, junior enlisted members were 61% of the accused. The records list 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer form of a punitive discharge. The comparison group is mostly junior enlisted members. Differences in pleas, sentences, and discharges here therefore involve a different group of accused. The records cannot show whether rank had any effect on those outcomes. ## Contested More Often Than Elsewhere Of the 25 records that list a plea, 15 were guilty pleas and 10 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The 40% contested share is higher than the 30% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases. Of the 10 contested cases that reached a verdict, 10% ended in a full acquittal, higher than the 7% service-wide. Another 3 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. With only 10 contested cases, each verdict changes these rates by a large amount. ## Fewer Long Sentences In all, 25 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 18 of those sentences included confinement (72%). The median confinement was 1.2 years, shorter than the 1.5 years elsewhere in the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of sentences were 3.8 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case. Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 9 of 25 convictions (36%), compared with 52% service-wide. ## Sentences by Length No confinement was much more common here: 7 convictions (28%), compared with 11% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases. Sentences under 6 months made up 24%, compared with 20%. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 12%, compared with 17%. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were less common: 24%, compared with 42%. Another 3 convictions (12%) had sentences of 5 years or more, about the same as the 10% service-wide. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases in 2019–2023 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 7 | 28% | 11% | | Under 6 months | 6 | 24% | 20% | | 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 12% | 17% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 24% | 42% | | 5 years or more | 3 | 12% | 10% | ## Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members Of 21 enlisted members convicted, 14 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (67%). Elsewhere in the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 74%. Of those 14 discharges, 6 were dishonorable. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Court Level and Other Charges General courts-martial heard 18 of the 26 cases (69%), about the same as the 72% 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. Article 134 was the only charge in 5 of the 26 cases. The most common other charges were Article 92 (orders violation) and Article 107 (false official statement), in 6 cases each. Article 80 (attempt) and Article 128 (assault) were each charged in 5\. Article 129 (burglary before 2019; burglary and unlawful entry since) was charged in 4\. A sentence covers every charge, so these other charges are part of every figure above. Article 134 covers conduct that is prejudicial to good order and discipline or that brings discredit on the armed forces, along with a list of specific offenses. The conduct alleged in these cases can therefore differ a great deal. ## Cases by Year The cases were tried from April 2019 to February 2023: 6 in 2019, 4 in 2020, 11 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 2 in 2023\. They made up 13% of the 205 courts-martial at Norfolk in those years. The year with the most cases was 2021, with 11\. The last case was tried in February 2023\. The records give only trial dates. Offense dates, which determine which version of the rules applied to a case, are not included. ## What the Records Do Not Show The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. They do not include conduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so the plea counts here use only records that list one. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 134 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Courts-martial tried at Norfolk, Virginia in 2019–2023 that charged Article 134 (26 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 134 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 - [Norfolk, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-norfolk-virginia/) (hub) - [Article 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-134-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 308 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2013-2018/) - [What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023? 205 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2024–2026? 77 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [36 General Article Courts-Martial at Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-article-134-2013-2018/) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps General Article Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 134, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-134-trend-2017-2025/) - [Article 134 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 134 Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023 - [Matthew Cox](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-cox/) - [Glen Hines](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-glen-hines/) - [Hayes Larsen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-hayes-larsen/) - [Donald Ostrom](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-donald-ostrom/) 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](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.