Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
In the Western District of Wisconsin, 15 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 9 (60%) received a prison term, and 5 (33%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, the same as for all 94 districts.
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In brief: In the Western District of Wisconsin, 15 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 9 (60%) received a prison term, and 5 (33%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, the same as for all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 15 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 and Probation Outcomes
Of the 15 people sentenced, 9 (60%) received a prison term. 5 (33%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
For all 94 federal districts together, this offense type had 6,448 people, 72% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 12 months. The share sent to prison was lower in this district.
Offense Type and Primary Guidelines
"Administration of Justice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guidelines were §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury) with 8 people and §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) with 4. 2 people had §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), and 1 had §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant).
These cases were 1% of the 1,403 people sentenced in the district. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 59.5 months.
Trials and Guilty Pleas
13 of 15 (87%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. Guilty pleas were 93% for all 94 districts in this offense type.
The median prison term was 12 months after a guilty plea and 12 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people, so it shows little. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The Guideline Range
27% of sentences (4 people) were within the guideline range. 20% (3) were below the range at the government's request, and 53% (8) were below the range without a government request. None were above the range.
Within the range was 48% for all 94 districts and 32% for all offenses in this district. No one had a mandatory minimum prison term, based on 15 people with that information recorded.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
After prison, supervised release was ordered for 6 people (40%), with a median term of 24 months. Fines went to 6 people (40%), and 5 (33%) were ordered to pay restitution.
80% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 13% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
The table lists 7 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 8 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Some fiscal years have no rows. One year lists the median as n/a, and fiscal year 2016 shows a median of 0 months. These counts are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 0 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 2 | 12 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | 6 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 24 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 33 months | 1 of 1 |
Limits of the Data
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, so acquittals and dismissals do not appear. The prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not show the underlying case in which the perjury, obstruction, or other offense took place.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (15). 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 Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, 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.