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
18 U.S.C. 1546, Fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal cases under 18 U.S.C. 1546 seldom reached trial: 39 of 4,629 defendants (less than 1%) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those 39 trials, 12 ended in an acquittal (31%). Guilty pleas ended 4,401 cases (95%), and the median prison term on this charge was 5 months.
18 U.S.C. 2251, Sexual exploitation of children: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Among 3,489 federal defendants convicted on a most serious charge under 18 U.S.C. 2251 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the median prison term on that charge was 280 months (23.3 years), and 22 received life. Convictions covered 95% of the 3,675 defendants whose cases ended. Of 213 trials, 4 ended in a
18 U.S.C. 1951, Interference with commerce by threats or violence: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Nearly every federal defendant convicted under 18 U.S.C. 1951 received a prison term on that charge: 4,579 of 4,737 (97%), with a median of 78 months (6.5 years). Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 4,881 defendants had a case end with this section as the most serious charge, and 91% of them pleaded gui
18 U.S.C. 2113, Bank robbery and incidental crimes: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 5,118 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 18 U.S.C. 2113 as the most serious charge, 179 (3%) went to trial, and 20 of those trials ended in an acquittal (11%). Guilty pleas ended 4,765 cases (93%). Of the 4,924 people convicted, 4,724 (96%) received a prison te
18 U.S.C. 113, Assaults within maritime and territorial jurisdiction: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 5,508 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case was under 18 U.S.C. 113, 4,055 (74%) were convicted in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those convicted, 3,251 (80%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 34 months (2.8 years). Another 1,369 defendants (25%)
18 U.S.C. 1956, Laundering of monetary instruments: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 6,078 federal defendants whose most serious charge was under 18 U.S.C. 1956, 1,001 (16%) had their cases dismissed in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Most of the rest pleaded guilty: 4,810 (79%). Another 267 (4%) went to trial, and 33 of them (12%) were acquitted.
18 U.S.C. 1343, Fraud by wire, radio, or television: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Between fiscal years 2016 and 2025, 6,960 federal defendants had a case end with 18 U.S.C. 1343 as the most serious charge, and 6,337 (91%) pleaded guilty. Of the 312 who went to trial, 54 (17%) were acquitted. Bench trials ended in an acquittal more often than jury trials: 61% compared with 14%.
18 U.S.C. 641, Public money, property or records: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 9,190 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 641 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 67% pleaded guilty, 32% had their cases dismissed, and 2% went to trial. Of the 164 trials, 38 ended in an acquittal (23%). Among the 6,253 convicted, 2,082 (33%) recei
21 U.S.C. 844, Penalties for simple possession: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Charges were dismissed for 3,419 of the 9,740 federal defendants (35%) whose most serious charge at the end of the case was under 21 U.S.C. 844, in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Another 6,285 (65%) pleaded guilty and 36 went to trial, with 11 acquittals. Nearly all of these charges (97%) were Class A m
18 U.S.C. 1349, Attempt and conspiracy: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 11,807 of the 13,204 federal defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 1349 (89%) were convicted, most of them by guilty plea. Only 902 (7%) went to trial, and 101 of those trials (11%) ended in an acquittal. The median prison term on this charge was 33 months (2.8 years).
18 U.S.C. 371, Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 13,207 federal defendants had cases end with 18 U.S.C. 371 as the most serious charge. 12,183 (92%) pleaded guilty, and only 364 (3%) went to trial. Of those trials, 46 ended in an acquittal (13%), and 12,501 defendants (95%) were convicted overall.
18 U.S.C. 2252, Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
From fiscal year 2016 through 2025, 2,890 of 3,071 federal defendants (94%) whose most serious charge fell under 18 U.S.C. 2252 pleaded guilty. In total, 2,960 (96%) were convicted. Only 72 went to trial, 2 trials ended in an acquittal, and the median prison term on the charge was 90 months (7.5 yea
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