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# Federal Arson Sentences in the Western District of New York, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-arson-sentences-western-district-of-new-york/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:00:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:00:26.000Z
- Description: 18 people were sentenced for arson in the Western District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 17 of them (94%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years). That median is lower than the 60 months across all 94 federal districts for arson.
- 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 Western District of New York, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-new-york/) › Arson: Western District of New York

**In brief:** 18 people were sentenced for arson in the Western District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 17 of them (94%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years). That median is lower than the 60 months across all 94 federal districts for arson.

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/).

## Median Prison Term Compared With All Districts

The median prison term for arson in this district was 37 months. In all 94 districts, 742 people were sentenced for arson, and the median prison term was 60 months. The district's median is lower.

A quarter of the people sent to prison here received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 41 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

## Almost Everyone Went to Prison

17 of 18 people (94%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. In all 94 districts, 96% of people sentenced for arson were sent to prison, so the share was about the same.

Arson cases were less than 1% of the 4,205 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 18 used the same primary guideline, §2K1.4 (Arson).

## Mandatory Minimums and Guideline Range

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 7 of the 18 people (39%). The records do not show which of those minimums applied or why.

Against the guideline range, 9 people (50%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request, and 2 (11%) were below it without a request. 5 (28%) were within the range, and 2 (11%) were above it. In all 94 districts, 45% of arson sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 42% were within the range.

## Pleas

All 18 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and every plea had a written plea agreement. No one was convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, 93% of people sentenced for arson pleaded guilty.

The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced, so it does not show arson cases that went to trial and ended in an acquittal or a dismissal.

## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History

17 people (94%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 16 people (89%). A fine was ordered for 1 (6%).

On criminal history, 39% were in the lowest category, category I, and 17% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts by Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 5 people. Fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 13 people. The table lists only the fiscal years with cases, and each has between 1 and 4 people.

Medians in the table range from 12 months in fiscal year 2021 to 87 months in fiscal year 2024\. With this few people, a single year's median describes very few cases and does not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 3                | 41 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2017        | 2                | 20.5 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2021        | 3                | 12 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2022        | 3                | 30 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2023        | 4                | 37 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2024        | 2                | 87 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2025        | 1                | 60 months     | 1 of 1         |

## What the Records Cannot Show

The records do not describe any fire, the damage caused, or whether anyone was hurt. They do not explain why a sentence was set where it was.

### How We Counted

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