Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025
Only 35 people were sentenced in the Northern District of New York for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 27 (77%) received a prison term, with a median of 16 months, and 8 (23%) received probation only. Across all 94 districts, the median was 12 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY20 › Administration of Justice Offense: Northern District of New York
In brief: Only 35 people were sentenced in the Northern District of New York for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 27 (77%) received a prison term, with a median of 16 months, and 8 (23%) received probation only. Across all 94 districts, the median was 12 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 35 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.
Who Is Counted in This Offense Type
"Administration of Justice" is an offense type set by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. In this district it covers 35 people, which is less than 1% of the 3,763 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
The most common primary guideline was §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), with 20 people. Next was §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice), with 8. Under §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury) and §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), 2 people each were sentenced.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
Of the 35 people, 27 (77%) were sent to prison, and 8 (23%) received probation only. For this offense type in all districts, 72% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 16 months. A quarter received 25.5 months or more, and a quarter received 10 months or less. The median for all districts was 12 months, and the median for all offenses in the district was 24 months.
Guilty Pleas and the Trials
A total of 31 of 35 people (89%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The rate across all districts was 93%, so the district rate was a little lower.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 15.5 months. After a trial it was 16.7 months, based on 3 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison. The figures are about the same, but 3 people are too few for a firm comparison.
Among those who pleaded guilty, 81% had a written plea agreement and 19% were straight pleas.
The Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Sentences within the guideline range were 60% of the total (21 people), compared with 48% for this offense type in all districts. A total of 6 sentences (17%) were below the range at the government's request, 7 (20%) were below it without a request, and 1 (3%) was above it.
A mandatory minimum applied to 2 people (6%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 18 people (51%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 10 (29%), and restitution for 4 (11%).
On criminal history, 63% were in the lowest category, category I, and 3% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 14 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 21. The table has no row for fiscal year 2020.
Each year has between 1 and 5 people, so the yearly medians, from 0.3 months to 35.5 months, rest on very small groups and should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 19.5 months | 3 of 5 |
| 2017 | 1 | 16 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 5 | 35.5 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2019 | 3 | 15.3 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2021 | 4 | 15.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0.3 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 4 | 11 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 4 | 15 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2025 | 4 | 24 months | 4 of 4 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Fort Drum, New York, is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and not in this federal court.
The records do not show the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (35). 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.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
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 New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of New York, 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.