Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
All 129 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the District of Maryland in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 120 months (10 years), compared with 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 › Child Pornography: District of Maryland
In brief: All 129 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the District of Maryland in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 120 months (10 years), compared with 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 129 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 Terms for Child Pornography Offenses
Every one of the 129 people (100%) was sent to prison. No one received probation only. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years). A quarter received 150 months or more, and a quarter received 63 months or less.
Across all 94 districts, child pornography cases had a median of 90 months, with 99% sent to prison. The median for every offense type in the District of Maryland was 48 months. Both of those figures are lower than the median here.
One Guideline Covers All Cases
All 129 cases had the same primary guideline, §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses the offense type "Child Pornography" for these cases. The records call the material child pornography, and this post also uses the term images of child exploitation.
These cases were 2% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 93 of the 129 people (72%).
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Below the guideline range at the government's request were 53 people (41%). Within the range were 40 (31%), below it without a government request were 33 (26%), and above it were 3 (2%).
For child pornography in all 94 districts, 32% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 31%. The Maryland share was about the same as both.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
A total of 126 of the 129 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, 97% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 95%.
The median was 120 months after a guilty plea and also 120 months after a trial, though the trial group has just 3 people. Among guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement and 3% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Long Supervised Release Terms
All 129 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 192 months, and 53 people (41%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 2 people (2%), and restitution for 73 (57%). In criminal history, 61% were in the lowest category and 4% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Medians
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 59 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 70. The table shows between 4 and 21 people per year. The median prison term was 72 months in fiscal year 2017 and 204 months in fiscal year 2024.
Groups this small cannot show a trend. Each fiscal year runs from October to the following September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 21 | 114 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 9 | 72 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2018 | 10 | 115.5 months | 90% |
| 2019 | 19 | 120 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 4 | 96 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2021 | 19 | 96 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 19 | 90 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 8 | 85 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 204 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 9 | 120 months | 9 of 9 |
What the Records Leave Out
This data includes only those convicted and sentenced. Each term is what the court imposed, not the time served. The records do not say how many images were involved or describe any case.
Fort Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, are in this district. Military courts try courts-martial, and they are separate from this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (129). 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 Maryland, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, 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.