Federal Bribery and Corruption Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 43 people sentenced for bribery or corruption in the Southern District of Georgia, with fiscal years 2016 to 2023 represented. 23 (53%) received a prison term and 18 (42%) received probation only. The median prison term was 15 months, compared with 18 months a
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY201 › Bribery and Corruption: Southern District of Georgia
In brief: The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 43 people sentenced for bribery or corruption in the Southern District of Georgia, with fiscal years 2016 to 2023 represented. 23 (53%) received a prison term and 18 (42%) received probation only. The median prison term was 15 months, compared with 18 months across all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 43 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.
Below the Guideline Range More Often Than Not
Only 23% of these sentences (10 people) were within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 65% (28 people), and below the range without a government request were 12% (5 people). None was above the range.
For bribery and corruption across all 94 districts, 21% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 71%.
The records do not say what the government requested or why.
Prison or Probation
Of the 43 people, 23 (53%) received a prison term and 18 (42%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all districts, 74% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 15 months. A quarter received 56 months or more, and a quarter received 1.5 months or less. The nationwide median for this offense type was 18 months.
These are terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 31 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2017 | 2 | 18 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 8 | 56 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2019 | 4 | 60 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 14 | 0 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 7 | 6 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
Pleas and Plea Agreements
Of the 43 people, 41 (95%) pleaded guilty and 2 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 91% pleaded guilty.
Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. After a trial it was 47 months, based on only 2 people, so that figure describes a very small group.
Which Guidelines Applied
"Bribery/Corruption" is the Commission's offense type, based on the primary sentencing guideline. §2C1.1 (Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Bribe) applied to 20 people, and §2B4.1 (Bribery in Procurement of Bank Loan and Other Commercial Bribery) also applied to 20.
2 other guidelines each applied to 1 person: §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) and §2C1.3 (Conflict of Interest).
These cases were 1% of the 4,115 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Criminal History, Fines, and Restitution
All of the group (100%) were in the lowest criminal history category I, and none (0%) was in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
A fine was ordered for 14 people (33%). Restitution was ordered for 24 (56%). Supervised release followed prison for 23 people (53%), with a median term of 36 months.
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 43 people with that information recorded (0%).
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 20 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 23. The table shows 2020 as the largest year, with 14 people and a median of 0 months. In 2022 and 2023 there was 1 person each.
Counts this small do not show a trend. A median based on 1 or 2 people describes 1 or 2 sentences.
What the Records Cannot Show
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Dismissals and acquittals are not in it, and the records say nothing about the facts of any case.
Fort Gordon and Fort Stewart are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Bribery/Corruption" (43). 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.
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 Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, 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.