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
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2025
Just 50 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2025 for theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less, the fewest of any year from 2016 to 2025. Of the 50, 46 (92%) received a sentence within the guideline range. Probation only went to 36 (72%), and 14 (28%) were sent to prison for a m
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 78 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a recorded loss of $1,000 or less. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 6 of them (8%), and restitution was ordered for 66 (85%). The 28 people sent to prison (36%) had a median term of 5.8 months.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2023
Of the 102 people sentenced for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less in fiscal year 2023, 99 (97%) pleaded guilty and 3 were convicted after a trial. A prison term was ordered for 36 people (35%), and their median term was 6.5 months. Another 64 (63%) received probation only.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2022
The median prison term was 1.5 months for people sent to prison in fiscal year 2022 for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less. That is the lowest yearly median in this band from fiscal year 2016 to 2025. Of the 91 people sentenced, 32 (35%) went to prison and 55 (60%) received probati
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, federal courts sentenced 85 people for theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less. None of the 85 sentences was above the guideline range: 0% (0). A prison term went to 23 people (27%), with a median of 4.5 months, and 57 (67%) received probation only.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2020
Every one of the 108 people sentenced in fiscal year 2020 for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted at trial. Probation only was the sentence for 75 of them (69%). The 29 people sent to prison (27%) had a median term of 5.6 months.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2019
Restitution was ordered for 114 of the 151 people (75%) sentenced in fiscal year 2019 for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less. Prison was less common: 49 people (32%) received a prison term, with a median of 6 months. Probation only went to 94 people (62%).
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2018
Of 161 people sentenced for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less in fiscal year 2018, 54 (34%) received a prison term and 101 (63%) received probation only. The median prison term was 4.5 months. Only 2 people were convicted after a trial, and their median term was 29 months.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2017
Federal courts sentenced 200 people in fiscal year 2017 for theft or fraud involving a loss of $1,000 or less, and 78 of them (39%) went to prison. That prison share was higher than the 33% for this loss band over fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 5.7 months.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 184 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a recorded loss of $1,000 or less. Probation only was the most common sentence: 115 of them (63%) received it, while 54 (29%) received a prison term. For those sent to prison, the median term was 6.6 months.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 135 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a recorded dollar loss of none. The median prison term was 4 months for the 92 people (68%) sent to prison. Both the count and the median were the lowest in the band's yearly table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2024
Federal courts sentenced 152 people in fiscal year 2024 for theft or fraud where the records list no dollar loss. The median prison term was 4.3 months for the 99 people (65%) who went to prison. Most sentences, 85% (129), were within the guideline range.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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