Orders Violation Charges at San Diego, California, 2024–2026: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › San Diego, California › Article 92, 2024–2026

Based on 17 cases · 2024–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Mostly NCOs

NCOs were 69% of the accused in these cases. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 25%, and officers were 6%. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases in 2024–2026, junior enlisted members were 51% of the accused.

Confinement in 8 of 17 Sentences

All 17 cases ended in a conviction, and 8 of those sentences included confinement. The median confinement was 2 months, close to the 3 months for Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases overall.

A few sentences were much longer. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1 year or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

Orders Violations Charged Alone

Article 92 was the only charge in 7 of the 17 cases. In the others, Article 86 (AWOL) and Article 107 (false official statement) appeared in 3 cases each. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 2. Article 81 (conspiracy) and Article 93a (prohibited activities with recruit or trainee) appeared in 1 each.

Discharges

A punitive discharge followed 33% of the enlisted convictions: 2 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. Navy and Marine Corps-wide, the share in Article 92 cases was 37%.

1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in these cases and was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Pleas

11 accused pleaded guilty and 6 contested. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 35%, lower than the 44% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases in 2024–2026.

Court Level

3 of the 17 cases were general courts-martial (18%), compared with 16% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases. The others were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Timing and Law Changes

There were 10 trials in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year. These 17 cases were 13% of the 126 courts-martial at San Diego, California in 2024–2026.

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023 are sentenced by the military judge within new sentencing parameters. Because the records show trial dates and not offense dates, these trials include cases under both sets of rules.

What Is Missing

The records do not describe the orders involved, the evidence, or the plea terms. Orders violations handled by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in this data.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 92 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.