> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Arson Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-arson-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:36:15.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:36:15.000Z - Description: A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 of the 20 people (50%) sentenced for arson in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The records list 19 of them as receiving a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years), the same as for arson in all 94 federal districts. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-missouri/) › Arson: Eastern District of Missouri **In brief:** A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 of the 20 people (50%) sentenced for arson in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The records list 19 of them as receiving a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years), the same as for arson in all 94 federal districts. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 20 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Mandatory Minimums in Arson Cases A mandatory minimum applied to 10 of 20 people (50%). A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute that a judge must impose in most cases. The records do not show which charges carried the minimum. ## How Long Were the Prison Terms? A prison term went to 19 of the 20 people (95%), and 1 person (5%) received probation only. The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 81 months or more, and a quarter received 28.5 months or less. The median for all 94 districts was also 60 months, so the figures are about the same. Nationwide, 96% were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months, which is lower than the arson median. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. ## Guideline Range Results Within the range were 50% of the sentences (10). Below the range at the government's request were 10% (2), and below the range without a government request were 20% (4). Above the range were 20% (4). Across all districts, 45% of arson sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 42%. Sentences above the range involved 4 people, which is a small count. ## Offense Type and Guidelines "Arson" is the Commission's own category. In this district, 19 people were sentenced under §2K1.4 (Arson), and 1 person under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). These cases were less than 1% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. ## Pleas, Restitution, and Supervised Release All 20 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and each plea had a written plea agreement. Nationwide, 93% of people sentenced for arson pleaded guilty. Restitution was ordered for 16 people (80%), and no fine was ordered. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 19 people (95%), with a median term of 36 months. In criminal history, 40% were in the lowest category and 10% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Fiscal Year Counts From fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 6 people were sentenced. From fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 14 were sentenced. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. Most years had 1 to 4 people. Fiscal year 2023 shows a median of 150 months for 3 people, so a single year with so few cases cannot show a trend. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 | | 2017 | 1 | 18 months | 1 of 1 | | 2019 | 4 | 81 months | 4 of 4 | | 2020 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 | | 2021 | 1 | 36 months | 1 of 1 | | 2022 | 1 | 27 months | 1 of 1 | | 2023 | 3 | 150 months | 3 of 3 | | 2024 | 4 | 60 months | 4 of 4 | | 2025 | 4 | 42 months | 4 of 4 | ## What Is Not Shown The data counts only convicted and sentenced people. It excludes acquittals and dismissals, and it does not describe the facts of any case. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Arson" (20). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (overview) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.