Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025
56 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced for assault in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 16% were sentenced above the guideline range. The median prison term was 41.5 months (3.5 years), compared with 42 months in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 › Assault: District of Minnesota
In brief: 56 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced for assault in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 16% were sentenced above the guideline range. The median prison term was 41.5 months (3.5 years), compared with 42 months in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 56 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.
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the range of sentences calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. For assault in Minnesota, 9 of the 56 people (16%) were sentenced above it. 25 (45%) were within the range, 14 (25%) were below it without a government request, and 8 (14%) were below it at the government's request.
In all districts, 48% of assault sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Minnesota the figure was 31%.
Prison Terms
50 of the 56 people (89%) received a prison term, and 5 (9%) received probation only. In all districts, 90% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 41.5 months (3.5 years). A quarter received 80.8 months or more, and a quarter received 25.5 months or less. The median for all offenses in the district was 70 months. Terms are those imposed.
Guidelines Behind the Category
The Commission assigns the offense type by primary guideline. In Minnesota, 50 people were sentenced under §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault). 3 were sentenced under §2A2.3 (Assault), and 2 under §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder).
Assault cases were 2% of the 3,630 people sentenced in the district. A mandatory minimum applied to 3 of the 53 people with that information recorded (6%).
Pleas and Trials
51 of 56 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. After a guilty plea the median prison term was 37 months. After a trial it was 74 months, based on 5 people.
Guilty pleas were 93% for assault in all districts and 94% for all offenses in this district. Among guilty pleas in Minnesota, 94% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
50 people (89%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (2%), and restitution for 19 (34%).
38% were in the lowest criminal history category and 20% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Small Yearly Counts
23 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 33 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year starts October 1 and ends in September.
Yearly counts are from 3 to 11 people, so the medians in the table, from 15 months in 2020 to 77 months in 2019, do not show a trend. The records cannot show why the figures change from year to year.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 43 months | 5 of 7 |
| 2017 | 8 | 35 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2018 | 4 | 37 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 4 | 77 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 5 | 15 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 3 | 70 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2022 | 11 | 30 months | 91% |
| 2023 | 5 | 68 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2024 | 6 | 57 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2025 | 3 | 32 months | 2 of 3 |
Limits of the Data
The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and no case facts are given, so the records cannot show what kind of assault was involved beyond the guideline used.
With 56 people over 10 fiscal years, the group is small, and the comparisons with all districts describe these numbers only.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Minnesota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Minnesota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (56). 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 (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 Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Minnesota, 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.