Federal Bribery and Corruption Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
Of the 10 people sentenced for bribery or corruption offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, 5 (50%) received a prison term and 5 (50%) received probation only. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years). Only 2 people (20%) were sentenced within the guideline
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY20 › Bribery and Corruption: Western District of Louisiana
In brief: Of the 10 people sentenced for bribery or corruption offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, 5 (50%) received a prison term and 5 (50%) received probation only. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years). Only 2 people (20%) were sentenced within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 10 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.
Prison and Probation Were Split Evenly
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 10 people in this district whose offense type was Bribery/Corruption. Of these, 5 (50%) received a prison term, and 5 (50%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 26 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. With 5 people, the group is very small.
Across all 94 federal districts, 3,259 people were sentenced in this category, 74% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 18 months. The share sent to prison here was lower. For all offenses in this district, the median was 60 months.
Few Sentences Within the Range
All 10 people had guideline information. Of these, 2 (20%) were sentenced within the range. Another 2 (20%) were below it at the government's request, and 6 (60%) were below it without a government request. 0 were above the range.
In all districts, 21% of sentences in this category were within the range, which is about the same as the 20% here. For all offenses in this district, the share was 67%.
Guidelines Used
The category is the Commission's, assigned from the primary guideline. §2C1.1 (Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Bribe) was the primary guideline for 6 people. §2B4.1 (Bribery in Procurement of Bank Loan and Other Commercial Bribery) and §2C1.2 (Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity) were each the primary guideline for 2.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 10 people with that information recorded (0%). These cases were less than 1% of the 3,011 people sentenced in this district.
Pleas and Trials
Of the 10 people, 8 (80%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 25 months after a trial, based on 2 people.
In all districts, 91% pleaded guilty in this category. For all offenses in this district, the share was 96%. Among guilty pleas, 8 of 8 had a written plea agreement, and 0 of 8 were straight pleas with no agreement.
Fines, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
A fine was ordered for 4 people (40%), and restitution for 2 (20%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 5 (50%), with a median term of 24 months.
In criminal history, 100% were in the lowest category (category I), and 0% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 5 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 5. The yearly table has counts of 1 to 3 people, so it shows no trend. Where it lists n/a, no median is reported.
Fiscal years begin on October 1.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 12 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 1 | 26 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | 24 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 27 months | 1 of 1 |
Installations and Limits
Barksdale AFB and Fort Polk are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts and not in this federal court.
Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission data, and the records do not say who held any office involved.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Bribery/Corruption" (10). 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 Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western 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.