Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
The Eastern District of Texas sentenced 178 people for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 115 (65%) received a prison term with a median of 18 months, and 57 (32%) received probation only. For all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type was 12 m
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Administration of Justice Offense: Eastern District of Texas
In brief: The Eastern District of Texas sentenced 178 people for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 115 (65%) received a prison term with a median of 18 months, and 57 (32%) received probation only. For all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type was 12 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 178 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Misprision of Felony Is the Largest Group
The U.S. Sentencing Commission places a case in the "Administration of Justice" type according to its primary guideline. In this district, 137 people were sentenced under §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony).
Another 20 were sentenced under §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), 14 under §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice), and 5 under §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury).
Together these cases were 2% of the 7,998 people sentenced here in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison and Probation Compared With the Nation
A prison term went to 65% of the 178 people. Across all districts, 72% of people sentenced for this offense type went to prison.
The median prison term was 18 months. The longest quarter of terms were 28.5 months or more, and the shortest quarter were 12 months or less. The national median of 12 months is lower than the median here.
The median across all offenses in this district was 64.5 months, which is higher than the median for administration of justice. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
Where Sentences Fell Relative to the Guideline Range
The guideline range is calculated for each case under the Commission's guidelines. In this district, 48% of the sentences (85) were within the range, and the national figure for this offense type was also 48%.
Below the range at the government's request were 33% (59), and below the range without a government request were 9% (16). Above the range were 10% (18).
For all offenses in this district, the share within the range was 64%.
Pleas and Trials
Of the 178 people, 175 (98%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. More than 99% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 18 months. After a trial it was 42 months, based on 2 people sent to prison. Such a small group does not support a general comparison.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 178 people.
Supervised Release, Fines, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 113 people (63%), with a median term of 12 months. The court ordered a fine for 23 people (13%) and restitution for 19 (11%).
On criminal history, 68% were in the lowest category and 4% were in the highest. The court-martial system has no matching field.
Counts and Medians by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 98 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 80. Each fiscal year starts October 1 and ends the next September.
Fiscal year 2016 had the largest count, 32 people, with a median of 18 months. Fiscal year 2020 had 12 people and a median of 30 months. Counts this small do not establish a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 32 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 22 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 20 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 24 | 21 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 12 | 30 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 13 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 15 | 16 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 9 | 27 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2024 | 18 | 19.5 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 13 | 19.5 months | 100% |
Limits on What the Records Show
The records start at sentencing, so people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are absent. They also give no account of the facts behind any single sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (178). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
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.