Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 37 Cases Show
Quantico, Virginia has 37 courts-martial in these records between June 2013 and October 2018, nearly all from 2017 and 2018. 43% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 64% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Quantico, Virginia › 2013–2018
Short answer: Quantico, Virginia has 37 courts-martial in these records between June 2013 and October 2018, nearly all from 2017 and 2018. 43% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 64% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 31% of cases, compared with 15%.
Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Service
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. Of 30 enlisted members convicted, 13 received one (43%). Only 2 of the 13 were dishonorable discharges. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, the rate was 64%.
Of 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not show.
Many Convictions Without Confinement
Of 32 convictions, 21 carried confinement. The other 11 (34%) carried none, compared with 12% across the service. The median confinement was 3 months, lower than the 6 months in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences were 1.2 years or more.
These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case, not one offense alone.
How Long the Sentences Were
6 of 32 convictions (19%) carried more than one year of confinement, compared with 26% service-wide. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year were 9% of convictions, compared with 23%. Sentences of 5 years or more were 3%, compared with 9%. Sentences under 6 months were 38%, about the same as the 39% service-wide.
Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 11 | 34% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 38% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 9% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 16% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 3% | 9% |
Orders Violations and False Statements
Charges are listed for 36 of 37 cases. Each article counts once per case. Article 92 (orders violation) was the most common charge, in 31% of cases, compared with 15% service-wide. Article 107 (false official statement) appeared in 22%, compared with 12%. Article 134 appeared in 17%, compared with 13%.
Assault and sex offense charges were less common. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 22% of cases, compared with 37% across the service. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 17%, compared with 22%. Article 112a drug charges appeared in 22%, about the same as the 23% service-wide. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 11%, compared with 8%. Article 120b child sexual offense charges appeared in 6%, compared with 8%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 11 | 31% | 15% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 22% | 37% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 22% | 23% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 8 | 22% | 12% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 17% | 13% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 6 | 17% | 22% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 4 | 11% | 8% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 6% | 8% |
Results by Charge
All 8 cases charging Article 112a ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 3 months. Article 92 cases had 10 convictions on that article out of 11 (91%), with a median of 2 months. Article 107 cases had 7 of 8, with a median of 5 months.
Article 128 assault cases had the lowest conviction rate: 5 of 8. Those convictions had the longest median confinement, 1.4 years. One case can include several articles, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 11 | 10 (91%) | 2 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 5 (5 of 8) | 1.4 years |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 3 months |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 5 months |
More NCOs Than Junior Enlisted Accused
By rank, 10 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 20 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 were officers or warrant officers. That mix is more senior than across the service, where 56% were junior enlisted.
There were 15 general and 22 special courts-martial. The 41% general share compares with 44% service-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement in general courts-martial was 1.5 years. A special court-martial cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median in special courts-martial was 2 months.
Compared With Great Lakes and Kaneohe Bay
Great Lakes, Illinois (37 cases) and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay (31) tried a similar number of cases. Great Lakes had a median confinement of 6 months and a punitive discharge rate of 60%. Kaneohe Bay had 9 months and 79%. Only 3 Quantico records list a plea, so its plea figures cannot be compared.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantico, Virginia | 37 | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 months | 43% |
| Great Lakes, Illinois | 37 | 28% | 6 of 10 | 6 months | 60% |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | 31 | — | — | 9 months | 79% |
Cases by Year and What the Records Cannot Show
By year, there was 1 case in 2013, 0 in each of 2014, 2015, and 2016, 15 in 2017, and 21 in 2018. The records hold no Quantico cases for the middle years, so this page mostly describes 2017 and 2018. In total, the 37 cases are 2% of the 2,059 Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Records from this period often omit the plea and forum, so this page reports little about contested cases or acquittals. All trials took place before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, evidence, or plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Quantico, Virginia with a trial date in 2013–2018 (37 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, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Quantico, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 70 Cases Show (another period)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 49 Cases Show (another period)
- What Was Tried at Great Lakes, Illinois, 2013–2018? 37 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- Naples, Italy, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Orders Violation Cases at Quantico, Virginia: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Did General Article Cases at Quantico, Virginia Change After 2024?
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.