Federal Assault Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 34 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the "Assault" offense type, and 31 (91%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 229 months (19.1 years), compared with 42 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 34 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the "Assault" offense type, and 31 (91%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 229 months (19.1 years), compared with 42 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 34 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.
Very Long Median Prison Term
Among the 31 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 229 months, which is 19.1 years. A quarter received 332 months or more, and a quarter received 147.5 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 7,573 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 90% were sent to prison. The median for all offenses in this district was 60 months. In this group, 2 people (6%) received probation only.
Attempted Murder Is the Main Guideline
The Commission's "Assault" category is based on the main sentencing guideline. In this district, 29 of the 34 cases fell under §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder).
The other 5 cases fell under §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault). The group therefore reflects serious assault cases and is not typical of every assault charge. Assault cases were 1% of the 2,953 people sentenced in this district.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 17 of the 34 people, which is 50%. A mandatory minimum sets a floor that the court generally cannot go below.
The sentence matched the guideline range for 56% of the group (19 people) and exceeded it for 15% (5 people). It was lower than the range at the government's request for 18% (6 people) and without a request for 12% (4 people). Across all 94 districts, 48% of assault sentences were within the range.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
A total of 32 of 34 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 220 months. After a trial it was 300 months, based on 2 people.
Among the guilty pleas, 78% had a written plea agreement and 22% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all 94 districts, 93% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district the figure was 96%.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 30 people (88%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 11 people (32%), and no fines were ordered.
In criminal history, 35% were in the lowest category and 15% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 24 people. Fiscal year 2023 had 10 people, the most of any year, with a median prison term of 340 months.
The other years with data had between 2 and 6 people. Fiscal years 2018 and 2020 do not appear in the table because they had no cases. The yearly medians differ widely, and with so few people per year they do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 415 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2017 | 6 | 144 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2019 | 2 | 120 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 201.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 240 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2023 | 10 | 340 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 3 | 120 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 6 | 157.5 months | 6 of 6 |
Limits of These Records
The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
The records do not describe the facts of any case. This post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (34). 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 Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, 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.