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# Federal Arson Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-arson-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:00:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:00:07.000Z
- Description: In the Eastern District of New York, 18 people were sentenced for arson in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 17 (94%) received a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years). The all-district median for arson was also 60 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 of the 18 people (
- 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 New York, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-new-york/) › Arson: Eastern District of New York

**In brief:** In the Eastern District of New York, 18 people were sentenced for arson in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of them, 17 (94%) received a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years). The all-district median for arson was also 60 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 of the 18 people (56%).

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 18 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 Applied to 10 of 18 People

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 of the 18 people (56%). Mandatory minimums are the first thing to know about this group.

All 18 people were sentenced under the same primary guideline, §2K1.4 (Arson). "Arson" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type.

These cases were less than 1% of the 6,411 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.

## Prison Terms

The median prison term among the 17 people sent to prison was 60 months (5 years). A quarter received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 26.8 months or less.

Across all districts, the median for arson was 60 months, the same as here. For all offenses in this district, the median was 27 months, which is lower. One person (6%) received probation only.

After prison, 17 people (94%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months.

## Guilty Pleas and One Trial

Of the 18 people, 17 (94%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 93% pleaded guilty.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. The one person convicted at trial received 198 months. A single case cannot support a comparison of trial and plea sentences.

Among the guilty pleas, 94% had a written plea agreement, and 6% were straight pleas.

## Within, Below, and Above the Guideline Range

The sentence was within the range for 7 people (39%). It was below the range without a request from the government for 6 (33%), and below the range at the government's request for 1 (6%).

Above the range were 4 sentences (22%). Across all districts, 45% of arson sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 24%.

## Restitution and Criminal History

Restitution was ordered for 13 people (72%), and no fine was ordered (0%).

In criminal history, 33% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 22% were in the highest (Category VI).

## Yearly Counts

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 6 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 12 people. Fiscal year 2023 has the most, with 5 people and a median of 26.8 months.

The yearly medians run from 24 months in fiscal year 2017 to 198 months in fiscal year 2020, which has 1 person. Every year has 5 people or fewer, so the table does not show a trend. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 60 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2017        | 2                | 24 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2018        | 1                | 96 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2019        | 2                | 143 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2020        | 1                | 198 months    | 0 of 1         |
| 2022        | 3                | 60 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2023        | 5                | 26.8 months   | 5 of 5         |
| 2025        | 3                | 60 months     | 3 of 3         |

## Limits of the Records

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

The records give no case details.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Arson" (18). 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 New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-eastern-district-of-new-york/) (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.