Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Iowa, 22 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 21 (95%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 16 months, compared with 12 months for all 94 federal districts. Prison was more common here than in the all
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2 › Administration of Justice Offense: Northern District of Iowa
In brief: In the Northern District of Iowa, 22 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 21 (95%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 16 months, compared with 12 months for all 94 federal districts. Prison was more common here than in the all-district group, where 72% were sent to prison.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 22 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.
Prison Terms Compared With All Districts
Of the 22 people, 21 (95%) received a prison term, and 1 (5%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median term was 16 months. A quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 10 months or less.
Across all districts, the Commission counts 6,448 people in this offense type. Of those, 72% went to prison, and the median was 12 months. All offenses in the Northern District of Iowa had a median of 60 months. These are sentences imposed, not time served.
Which Offenses Are in the Group
"Administration of Justice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for cases about interference with courts and investigations. In this district, the primary guideline was §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) for 11 people.
It was §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury) for 4, §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) for 3, and §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony) for 2. The group was less than 1% of the 3,479 people sentenced in the district over the period.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
A total of 59% (13) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 14% (3) were below it at the government's request, and 18% (4) were below it without a request. 9% (2) were above the range.
In all districts, 48% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 53%.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
A total of 21 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 15.5 months after a guilty plea and 24 months after a trial. The trial figure is a single case.
Among guilty pleas, 81% had a written plea agreement, and 19% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 22 people (0%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 20 people (91%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 (9%), and restitution for 4 (18%).
In criminal history, 45% were in the lowest category I and 0% were in the highest category VI. Military records have no matching criminal history field, so no court-martial comparison is made here.
Yearly Counts
The group has 13 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 9 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table shows 1 to 7 people a year and has no rows for 2022 or 2024. The median was 21 months in 2016 and 7.5 months in 2019.
These counts are too small for trends. Fiscal years begin October 1. The records give no reason for the differences, and they count only people who were convicted and sentenced.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 21 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2017 | 2 | 17 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 14.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 7.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 5 | 12.5 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 1 | 15 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 10 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 20 months | 2 of 2 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Iowa (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Iowa North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (22). 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 Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, 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.