Pensacola, Florida, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases
Pensacola, Florida had 15 courts-martial from 2024–2026, and all 15 ended in a conviction on at least one charge.
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Trends › By Installation › Pensacola, Florida › 2024–2026
Short answer: Pensacola, Florida had 15 courts-martial from 2024–2026, and all 15 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. The accused contested 8 of the cases (53%, compared with 36% across the Navy and Marine Corps), and none of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 40% of cases, compared with 15% service-wide.
No Full Acquittals in Contested Cases
In 7 cases the accused pleaded guilty, and in 8 the accused contested at least one charge. The contested share, 53%, compares with 36% in the whole Navy and Marine Corps.
All 15 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. In 2019–2023, 14 of 24 contested cases that reached a verdict at Pensacola ended in a full acquittal. In 2024–2026 the count was 0 of 8.
Assault and Domestic Violence Charges
All 15 records list the charges, and one case can be counted under several articles. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 6 cases (40%), compared with 15% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 3 (20%), compared with 12%.
Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), Article 134 (the general article), and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) were each charged in 2 cases (13%). Article 131b (obstructing justice), Article 115 (communicating threats), and Article 124 (frauds against the United States) were each charged once.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 40% | 15% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 20% | 12% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 13% | 5% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 13% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 13% | 19% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 7% | 5% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 1 | 7% | 2% |
| Art. 124 Frauds against the United States | 1 | 7% | 0% |
Median Confinement of 1 Year
9 of the 15 sentences (60%) included confinement. The median term was 1 year, compared with 6 months for the whole Navy and Marine Corps. At least a quarter of the terms were 2 years or longer.
The terms are the ones announced at trial and cover all charges in each case. Plea-agreement limits, clemency, and appeals are not reflected.
Punitive Discharges
13 enlisted members were convicted. 4 received a bad-conduct discharge and 2 a dishonorable discharge, 6 in all (46%). Service-wide the figure was 52%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.
Administrative separation can still follow a sentence with no punitive discharge.
Rank and Court Level
Junior enlisted members were the largest group among the accused with rank recorded: 11, along with 2 NCOs and 1 officer. That is more junior than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole.
5 of the 15 cases were general courts-martial (33%). The service-wide share was 38%. The remaining cases were special courts-martial, where confinement cannot exceed 1 year and a dishonorable discharge is not available.
Changes Since 2019–2023
Pensacola had 42 cases in 2019–2023, about 8 a year, and about 6 a year since. The median confinement went from 3 months to 1 year. The share of convictions with confinement went from 89% to 60%. The punitive discharge rate went from 56% to 46%, and general courts-martial went from 55% to 33% of cases. A few cases can move each of these figures.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 42 | 15 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 59% | 53% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 14 of 24 | 0 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 89% | 60% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 56% | 46% |
| General courts-martial | 55% | 33% |
Washington, D.C. and Yokosuka, Japan
Washington, D.C. and Yokosuka, Japan each tried 21 cases in the same years. Both had a contested share of 33%, lower than Pensacola. Washington, D.C. had 2 of 7 contested cases end in a full acquittal and Yokosuka had 3 of 7.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pensacola, Florida | 15 | 53% | 0 of 8 | 1 year | 46% |
| Washington, D.C. | 21 | 33% | 2 of 7 | 3 months | 21% |
| Yokosuka, Japan | 21 | 33% | 3 of 7 | 5 months | 69% |
Timing and Record Limits
The cases ran from January 2024 to April 2026: 7 in 2024, 6 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year. They are 1% of the 1,013 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, and new sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Pensacola, Florida with a trial date in 2024–2026 (15 cases), compared with all 1,013 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Pensacola, Florida: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Pensacola, Florida, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 74 Cases (another period)
- What Was Tried at Pensacola, Florida, 2019–2023? 42 Courts-Martial (another period)
- Mayport, Florida, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Parris Island, South Carolina, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Sexual Assault Cases at Pensacola, Florida: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Article 128 at Pensacola, Florida Before and After 2019
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Pensacola, Florida, 2024–2026
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 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.