> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Obstruction Charges at San Diego, California, 2013–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-article-131b-2013-2018/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:06:01.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:17.000Z - Description: San Diego, California had 12 courts-martial charging Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019) from 2013 through 2018. 4 of 12 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (33%), compared with 71% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases in 2013–2018. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, San Diego, California, Article 131b, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [San Diego, California](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-san-diego-california/) › Article 131b, 2013–2018 **Short answer:** San Diego, California had 12 courts-martial charging Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019) from 2013 through 2018\. 4 of 12 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (33%), compared with 71% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases in 2013–2018\. The median confinement was 4 months, shorter than the 10 months median across those cases. Based on 12 cases · 2013–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Punitive Discharges Were Less Common Here A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. 4 of the 12 convicted enlisted members at San Diego received one, and all 4 were bad-conduct discharges. None was dishonorable. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases in 2013–2018, the share with a punitive discharge was 71%, higher than the 33% here. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track. ## Shorter Median Confinement All 12 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 9 of those 12 sentences included confinement (75%). The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 10 months in Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases overall. Some sentences were much longer than the median. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1 year or longer. These figures are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, not only the obstruction charge. ## Most of the Accused Were NCOs NCOs made up 83% of the accused in these cases. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 17%, and no officers were charged. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases in the same years, junior enlisted members were 51% of the accused. ## Obstruction Was Rarely Charged Alone 10 of the 12 cases charged at least one other article. Article 107 (false official statement) appeared in 5 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 4, Article 121 (larceny) in 3, and Article 81 (conspiracy) and Article 92 (orders violation) in 2 each. Because a sentence covers all charges, the confinement and discharge figures above describe cases that usually involved more than obstruction. ## Pleas and Contested Cases A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. 11 of the 12 records list the plea. Of those, 8 accused pleaded guilty and 3 contested at least one charge, a contested share of 27%. The share across Navy and Marine Corps Article 131b cases in 2013–2018 was 23%. ## Court Level 3 of the 12 cases were general courts-martial (25%). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The other cases were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## When the Trials Took Place The trials ran from January 2013 to November 2018\. By year, the counts were 1 in 2013, 3 in 2014, 0 in 2015, 2 in 2016, 2 in 2017, and 4 in 2018\. These 12 cases were 4% of the 285 courts-martial at San Diego, California in 2013–2018. All of these trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law later set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. None of those changes applied to these cases. ## Limits of the Records The records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the terms of any plea deal, or conduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so the plea figures use only the records that list one. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Courts-martial tried at San Diego, California in 2013–2018 that charged Article 131b (12 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 131b in those years. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [San Diego, California: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-san-diego-california/) (hub) - [Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-131b-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 285 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2013-2018/) - [Inside 173 Courts-Martial at San Diego, California, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 126 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Did Obstruction Cases at San Diego, California Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-article-131b-before-after-2019/) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 131b, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-trend-2017-2025/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **Compare: federal court.** [Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obstruction-perjury-vs-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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.