Military Trial Results · Analysis
Understanding Trends in Military Practice
Analysis of real court-martial records: what gets charged, how cases end, what sentences look like, how experienced the lawyers of record were, and what changed when the law did.
Every number is computed from the Military Trial Results data, built from the services' public court-martial records. Each post says how many cases it rests on, the years covered, and how we counted. Read how this data was built before citing it.
Browse the Analysis
- By InstallationBases and regions, by time period
- By OffenseUCMJ articles, rising and falling charges
- By ServiceArmy, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps
- By YearWhat each year and month looked like
- SentencesConfinement, discharges, judge alone vs. members
- Counsel ExperiencePrior cases of the lawyers of record
- Law ChangesBefore and after the major reforms
- Episode CompanionsThe numbers behind podcast episodes
Federal Prosecution Analysis
How do federal prosecutions compare with courts-martial? These posts use the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of everyone sentenced in federal court and the Federal Judicial Center's records of every federal defendant whose case ended, including dismissals and acquittals, for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. They cover sentences, guilty pleas, trials and acquittals, mandatory minimums, and supervised release, offense by offense. Where a federal crime has a close counterpart in the UCMJ, the post sets the two side by side. Where it doesn't, the post reports the federal numbers on their own. For how military law has moved toward the federal system, start with Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System.
Latest Analysis
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 91% of the 661 people sentenced under §2L2.2 were in the lowest criminal history category, and 83% were sentenced within the guideline range. The median prison term was 3.3 months, and 98% pleaded guilty.
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
Only 2 of the 582 people sentenced under §2L2.2 in fiscal year 2021 were convicted after a trial. The other 580 (more than 99%) pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 3.5 months, and 76% of sentences were within the guideline range.
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Of the 642 people sentenced under §2L2.2 in fiscal year 2020, 87 (14%) received probation only and 549 (86%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 3.4 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 14 people (2%).
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 962 people were sentenced under §2L2.2. The median prison term was 3.5 months, and supervised release was ordered for 487 people (51%). 99% pleaded guilty, and 73% were sentenced within the guideline range.
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 935 people were sentenced in federal court under §2L2.2, a higher count than the 691 in fiscal year 2017. The median prison term was 4 months, 87% received a prison term, and 71% were sentenced within the guideline range.
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Of the 691 people sentenced under §2L2.2 in fiscal year 2017, 679 (98%) pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas, 51% were straight pleas with no written agreement and 48% had one. The median prison term was 4.4 months.
§2L2.2 Fraudulently Acquiring Documents Relating to Naturalization, Citizenship, or Legal Resident Status for Own Use: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 769 people were sentenced in federal court under §2L2.2. 73% received a sentence within the guideline range, compared with 49% of all federal cases that year. The median prison term was 4 months, and 98% pleaded guilty.
§2S1.1 Laundering of Monetary Instruments: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 101 of the 1,170 people sentenced under §2S1.1 (9%) received probation only, and 1,053 (90%) received a prison term. Restitution was ordered for 461 people (39%). The median prison term was 46 months (3.8 years).
§2S1.1 Laundering of Monetary Instruments: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, the median prison term under §2S1.1 was 46 months (3.8 years) for the 983 people sent to prison, out of 1,095 sentenced. 74% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 90% pleaded guilty.
§2S1.1 Laundering of Monetary Instruments: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 109 of the 1,132 people sentenced under §2S1.1 were convicted after a trial, and 1,023 (90%) pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 105 months after a trial and 46 months after a guilty plea. For all prison terms under this guideline, the median was 48 months (4 years).
§2S1.1 Laundering of Monetary Instruments: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 896 of the 1,001 people sentenced under §2S1.1 went to prison, with a median term of 48 months (4 years). A quarter received 100 months or more, and 9 people received a life sentence. 92% pleaded guilty.
§2S1.1 Laundering of Monetary Instruments: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 792 of the 831 people sentenced under §2S1.1 (95%) pleaded guilty, and 39 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 50 months (4.2 years). Only 20% of sentences were within the guideline range.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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