Federal Assault Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
The Eastern District of Missouri sentenced 29 people for assault offenses in the period covered by the offense-type figures, fiscal years 2018 to 2025. Of those, 27 (93%) received a prison term, with a median of 78 months (6.5 years). For all 94 federal districts, the median prison term for assault
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201 › Assault: Eastern District of Missouri
In brief: The Eastern District of Missouri sentenced 29 people for assault offenses in the period covered by the offense-type figures, fiscal years 2018 to 2025. Of those, 27 (93%) received a prison term, with a median of 78 months (6.5 years). For all 94 federal districts, the median prison term for assault was 42 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 29 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.
A Median of 78 Months
Among the 27 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 78 months. A quarter received 108 months or more, and a quarter received 57 months or less.
For all 94 districts together, the median for this offense type was 42 months, which is lower than the median here. For all offenses in this district it was 46 months. Assault cases in this district therefore carried longer terms than both comparison groups.
Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. The other 2 people (7%) received probation only.
What Counts as Assault in This Data
"Assault" is one of the Commission's offense types, assigned by the primary guideline. In this district, 21 people were sentenced under §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault). Another 8 were sentenced under §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder).
These cases were less than 1% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The 29 people appear in fiscal years 2018 to 2025.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 6 of the 29 people (21%).
Within the guideline range were 34% of the sentences (10). Below the range at the government's request were 28% (8), and below the range without a government request were 21% (6). Above the range were 17% (5).
Sentences above the range were 5 of the 29, so the count is small. Across all districts, 48% of assault sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 42%.
Guilty Pleas and the Single Trial
Of the 29 people, 28 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 78 months, and the one trial conviction carried 125 months.
One case cannot be used to compare trials with pleas. All of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
Nationwide, 93% of people sentenced for assault pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, 99% did.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 27 people (93%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (3%), and restitution for 0 people.
In criminal history, 41% of the people were in the lowest category and 17% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Small Yearly Counts
From fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 5 people were sentenced. From fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 24 people were. Fiscal years run from October 1 through the end of September.
Years with 1 or 2 people show medians that rest on very few cases, such as 360 months for 2 people in fiscal year 2021. These figures should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 80 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 96 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 5 | 30.5 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 2 | 360 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 4 | 93 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2023 | 7 | 70 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2024 | 4 | 117 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2025 | 2 | 69 months | 2 of 2 |
Limits
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not show acquittals, dismissals, or 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 "Assault" (29). 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 Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, 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.