Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 164 people were sentenced in the District of Puerto Rico for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses, and 159 (97%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), lower than the 90 months for the same offense type in all 94 fed
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–202 › Child Pornography: District of Puerto Rico
In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 164 people were sentenced in the District of Puerto Rico for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses, and 159 (97%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), lower than the 90 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 164 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 Were Shorter Than the National Median
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type is "Child Pornography." The Commission's category uses the term child pornography, and the cases involve images of child exploitation.
Of the 164 people, 159 (97%) were sentenced to prison and 4 (2%) received probation only. The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 84.5 months or more, and a quarter received 43.5 months or less.
In all districts, 99% of 13,674 people were sent to prison, and the median was 90 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 60 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
One Guideline Covered Nearly Every Case
The primary guideline for 163 people was §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). These cases were 2% of the 9,794 people sentenced in the district.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 54 of the 163 people with that information recorded (33%).
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Of the 164 people, 57 (35%) were within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 51 (31%), and below it without a government request were 40 (24%). Above the range were 16 (10%).
For all districts, 32% of child pornography cases were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 54%. The share within the range here was about the same as the national figure for this offense type and lower than the district's overall figure.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
A guilty plea was entered by 162 of 164 people (99%), and 2 were convicted after a trial. The national share was 97%.
The median prison term was 60 months after a guilty plea and 180 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 2 people, so it cannot support a general comparison.
Among the guilty pleas, 87% had a written plea agreement and 13% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release and Criminal History
For 159 people (97%), the court ordered supervised release after prison, and the median term was 120 months. Lifetime supervised release went to 1 person (less than 1%).
Fines were ordered for 2 people (1%) and restitution for 48 (29%). Criminal history was in category I, the lowest, for 94%, and in category VI, the highest, for none. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 69 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 95 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.
Yearly counts range from 8 in 2021 to 27 in 2024. Yearly medians range from 57 months to 78 months. The records do not show what accounts for the differences.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 18 | 57 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 22 | 71 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 16 | 58.5 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 13 | 57 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 9 | 60 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2021 | 8 | 66 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2022 | 19 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 11 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 27 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 21 | 78 months | 95% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The numbers cover convicted, sentenced people only. They say nothing about acquittals or dismissals, and they do not describe the number or content of images in any case.
Military courts hear courts-martial. Nothing here describes them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Puerto Rico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (164). 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 Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, 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.