Sexual Assault Charges at San Diego, California, 2013–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › San Diego, California › Article 120, 2013–2018

Based on 45 cases · 2013–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Contested Cases Ended in Full Acquittal

Of 36 contested Article 120 (sexual assault) cases at San Diego that reached a verdict, 23 ended in a full acquittal, meaning the accused was found not guilty of every charge. That 64% full-acquittal rate is higher than the 53% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Only 1 contested case (3%) ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. These figures describe past results. They say nothing about the strength of any one case.

Few of the Accused Pleaded Guilty

A plea is listed in 44 of the 45 records. Of those, 36 accused entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, which makes the case contested, and 8 pleaded guilty. The contested share of 82% was higher than the 70% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases overall.

At general courts-martial, 85% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, 70% were.

Long Confinement After Conviction

The 45 cases produced 22 convictions. Of those, 18 included confinement. The median confinement was 2.9 years, about the same as the 3 years for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of confinement sentences were 8 years or longer.

Sentences longer than one year were 14 of 22 convictions (64%), compared with 60% service-wide. Sentences of 5 years or more were 7 convictions (32%), compared with 28%. Sentences with no confinement were 4 convictions (18%), compared with 12%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Court Level and Sentence Length

General courts-martial tried 35 of the 45 cases (78%). Their median confinement was 4.5 years. The 10 special courts-martial had a median confinement of 6 months.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year. It can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable discharge.

Punitive Discharges After Conviction

Of 22 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a punitive discharge: 12 dishonorable discharges and 5 bad-conduct discharges. In Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases overall, 82% of convicted enlisted members received one.

A member whose sentence had no punitive discharge could still face an administrative separation. These records do not include administrative separations.

Assault Was Charged in Most Cases

Only 4 of the 45 cases charged Article 120 alone. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases in 2013–2018, the figure was 60 of 426. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 31 cases. The other common charges were Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 7, Article 134 (general article) in 6, Article 80 (attempt) in 4, and Article 107 (false official statement) in 2.

Findings are made charge by charge. An acquittal on sexual assault can come with a conviction on another charge in the same case. This post does not report which charges ended in a not-guilty finding in the 1 partial acquittal.

More NCOs Than Junior Enlisted

NCOs were 58% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 38%, and officers were 4%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, junior enlisted members were 48% of those charged under Article 120. The group at San Diego was more senior.

Number of Cases and the Rules in Force

The trials run from March 2013 to November 2018. By year, there were 8 in 2013, 6 in 2014, 10 in 2015, 7 in 2016, 9 in 2017, and 5 in 2018. Sexual assault cases were 16% of the 285 courts-martial at San Diego, California in those years.

All of these trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and introduced written plea agreements. None of those changes applied here. Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense happened.

What the Records Cannot Show

Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. Allegations resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records also do not show the evidence or plea terms. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum, so this post does not report who decided guilt.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial

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.