Federal Antitrust Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
13 people were sentenced for antitrust offenses in the District of New Jersey, all in fiscal years 2016 to 2018. 1 (8%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months. 11 (85%) received probation only, and all 13 were fined.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Antitrust: District of New Jersey
In brief: 13 people were sentenced for antitrust offenses in the District of New Jersey, all in fiscal years 2016 to 2018. 1 (8%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months. 11 (85%) received probation only, and all 13 were fined.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 13 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.
Fines for All 13, Prison for 1
The U.S. Sentencing Commission offense type "Antitrust" covers price-fixing and related agreements among competitors. In the District of New Jersey, 13 people were sentenced in this category, all in fiscal years 2016 to 2018. That is less than 1% of the 6,441 people sentenced in the district from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2025.
A fine was ordered for 13 (100%), and restitution for 0 (0%). Only 1 person (8%) received a prison term, and 11 (85%) received probation only. In all 94 districts, 44% of the 189 people in this category were sent to prison. The share here is much lower.
The Single Prison Term
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 12 months. With only 1 person in prison, the median, the quarter at 12 months or more, and the quarter at 12 months or less are the same single term.
The all-districts median for antitrust was 6 months. The median for all offenses in the district was 37 months. One term cannot support a comparison with either figure.
That 1 person was also the only one ordered to serve supervised release after prison, for a median term of 36 months.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
12 of 13 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. For all districts in this category, 91% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in the district, the rate was 97%.
Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. No one had a mandatory minimum prison term recorded.
Below the Guideline Range at the Government's Request
The guideline range is the sentence range calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. 1 sentence (8%) was within the range. 11 (85%) were below the range at the government's request, and 1 (8%) was below the range without a government request. None was above.
For all districts, 14% of antitrust sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, 37% were. The within-range share here is lower than both.
Guideline and Criminal History
All 13 people had the same primary guideline, §2R1.1 (Bid-Rigging, Price-Fixing or Market-Allocation Agreements Among Competitors). In criminal history terms, 100% were in category I, the lowest, and 0% were in category VI, the highest.
Sentences in Only 2 Fiscal Years
The table lists 11 people in fiscal year 2016 and 2 in fiscal year 2018. No antitrust sentences appear in the other fiscal years of the period. With cases this concentrated and this few, the data cannot show whether antitrust prosecutions in the district changed over time.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 | 12 months | 91% |
| 2018 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
Limits of the Records
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Antitrust" (13). 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 District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, 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.