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# Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 308 Cases
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2013-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:48:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:12.000Z
- Description: Norfolk, Virginia held 308 courts-martial from 2013 to 2018, 15% of all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. Sexual assault charges under Article 120 were in 30% of its cases, compared with 22% service-wide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Norfolk, Virginia, 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/) › 2013–2018

**Short answer:** Norfolk, Virginia held 308 courts-martial from 2013 to 2018, 15% of all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. Sexual assault charges under Article 120 were in 30% of its cases, compared with 22% service-wide. Convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge less often than elsewhere: 57%, compared with 64%.

Based on 308 cases · 2013–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## 308 Cases in 6 Years

Norfolk tried 15% of the 2,059 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years. The yearly counts were 52 in 2013, 50 in 2014, 57 in 2015, 55 in 2016, 39 in 2017, and 55 in 2018.

Because there are so many cases, Norfolk's percentages change less from a few cases than those for smaller installations, where a few cases can change a rate a great deal.

## Sexual Assault and Assault Were Charged More Often

Charge lists cover 290 of the 308 records, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 42% of cases, compared with 37% across the service. Article 120 (sexual assault) was next, in 30%, compared with 22%.

Drug charges were less common. Article 112a (drug) was in 18% of cases here and 23% of service cases. Larceny, false official statements, orders violations, and the general article were each in 12% to 13% of cases, about the same as the service shares.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 122   | 42%        | 37%                                         |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 86    | 30%        | 22%                                         |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 52    | 18%        | 23%                                         |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 39    | 13%        | 13%                                         |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 39    | 13%        | 12%                                         |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 38    | 13%        | 15%                                         |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 36    | 12%        | 13%                                         |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                                    | 18    | 6%         | 8%                                          |

## Guilty Pleas by Charge

A plea is recorded in 304 of the 308 records: 200 guilty pleas and 104 contested cases. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The 34% contested share compares with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps.

Guilty pleas were very different by offense. Cases charging Article 121 (larceny) ended in a guilty plea 92% of the time (35 of 38). Cases charging Article 120 ended in a guilty plea 34% of the time (29 of 86). The records do not explain the plea in any case.

## Verdicts in Contested Cases

Of 104 contested cases that reached a verdict, 45 ended in a full acquittal. The full-acquittal rate of 43% was slightly lower than the 46% service-wide. Another 11 ended in a partial acquittal, in which the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

## Convictions on Each of the Top Charges

All 39 larceny cases ended in a conviction on Article 121\. Article 120 had the lowest conviction rate among the top charges: 58 convictions on that article in 86 cases (67%). Article 128 had 100 convictions in 122 cases (82%). Article 112a had 44 in 52 (85%).

The median confinement for an Article 120 conviction was 2.5 years. For each of the other top articles, it was 6 months. A case can include several articles, so these rows overlap.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 122               | 100 (82%)               | 6 months                                |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault                            | 86                | 58 (67%)                | 2.5 years                               |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 52                | 44 (85%)                | 6 months                                |
| Art. 121 Larceny                                            | 39                | 39 (100%)               | 6 months                                |

## Confinement About the Same as the Service

Of 262 convictions, 227 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as across the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of sentences were 1.6 years or more. These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 68 of 262 convictions (26%), the same as the 26% service share. The share in each sentence range was within about 1 point of the service figure.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 35          | 13%        | 12%                                                   |
| Under 6 months                  | 101         | 39%        | 39%                                                   |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 58          | 22%        | 23%                                                   |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 45          | 17%        | 18%                                                   |
| 5 years or more                 | 23          | 9%         | 9%                                                    |

## Punitive Discharges, Dismissals, and Court Level

Of 245 convicted enlisted members, 139 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (57%), and 43 of those were dishonorable. The service-wide share was 64%. Of 15 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer form of a punitive discharge. Without one, an administrative separation can still follow.

The cases were split evenly by court level: 154 general and 154 special courts-martial. At general courts-martial, which can impose any lawful sentence, 91% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.5 years. At special courts-martial, which are capped at one year, 83% did, with a median of 4 months.

## Rank and Comparable Installations

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 51% of the accused, NCOs 43%, and officers 6%. Service-wide, junior enlisted members were 56%.

San Diego, California (285 cases) and Bremerton, Washington (221) were closest in size. Both had lower contested shares, 23% and 13%, and slightly lower punitive discharge shares, 55% and 52%. San Diego had full acquittals in 34 of 64 contested cases with a verdict, and Bremerton had 11 of 27\. Both had a median confinement of 5 months.

| Installation          | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| --------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Norfolk, Virginia     | 308   | 34%       | 45 of 104                           | 6 months           | 57%                           |
| San Diego, California | 285   | 23%       | 34 of 64                            | 5 months           | 55%                           |
| Bremerton, Washington | 221   | 13%       | 11 of 27                            | 5 months           | 52%                           |

## What the Records Do Not Show

All of these cases were tried before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial in the data tried at Norfolk, Virginia with a trial date in 2013–2018 (308 cases), compared with all 2,059 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.

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)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023? 205 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (another period)
- [What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2024–2026? 77 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (another period)
- [San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 285 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (same years, similar size)
- [Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (same years, similar size)
- [Did Assault Cases at Norfolk, Virginia Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-article-128-before-after-2019/)
- [Article 112a at Norfolk, Virginia Before and After 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-article-112a-before-after-2019/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

Next: [What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023? 205 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2019-2023/) →

**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.