> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:59:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:59:51.000Z - Description: From fiscal year 2016 through 2025, 229 people were sentenced in the Northern District of New York for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses. The median prison term was 120 months, compared with 90 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-new-york/) › Child Pornography: Northern District of New York **In brief:** From fiscal year 2016 through 2025, 229 people were sentenced in the Northern District of New York for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses. The median prison term was 120 months, compared with 90 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 93% of the 229. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 229 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Prison Terms in Child Pornography Cases in This District The U.S. Sentencing Commission counts 229 people sentenced in this district for child pornography, meaning offenses involving images of child exploitation. Of those, 228 (more than 99%) received a prison term, and 1 received probation only. The median prison term was 120 months, which is 10 years. A quarter of the people received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 84.8 months or less. For all 94 districts together, the median for this offense type was 90 months, so the district median was higher. The median for all offenses in the Northern District of New York was 24 months. These cases carried much longer terms than the district's cases as a whole. ## Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 213 of the 229 people (93%). A mandatory minimum sets a floor that a judge must follow in most circumstances, and it is part of the federal statute rather than the guideline range. Sentences within the guideline range were 35% of the total (81 people). Across all districts, 32% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. The largest group was below the range without a request from the government: 55% (125 people). Another 9% (21 people) were below the range at the government's request, and fewer than 1% (2 people) were above it. ## Guilty Pleas and Trials Of the 229 people, 220 (96%) pleaded guilty and 9 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 120 months. After a trial it was 180 months. The trial figure rests on 9 people. It describes that small group and does not show what a trial would add to a sentence in any single case. Among those who pleaded guilty, 70% had a written plea agreement and 30% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## The Charge Behind These Cases All 229 cases had the same primary guideline, §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). "Child Pornography" is the offense type used by the Sentencing Commission. These cases were 6% of the 3,763 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. ## Supervised Release and Financial Orders Supervised release was ordered for 228 people (more than 99%). The median term was 180 months, and 44 people (19%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 4 people (2%). Restitution was ordered for 142 (62%). On criminal history, 66% were in the lowest category, category I, and less than 1% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Counts by Fiscal Year Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 83 people sentenced, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 146\. A fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends at the end of the following September. Single-year counts range from 11 to 31, so each year is a small group. Medians were 90 months in fiscal year 2016 and 151 months in fiscal years 2021 and 2025\. The table lists every year, and the records do not support calling these movements a trend. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 13 | 90 months | 100% | | 2017 | 26 | 85.5 months | 100% | | 2018 | 21 | 97 months | 95% | | 2019 | 23 | 120 months | 96% | | 2020 | 21 | 100 months | 90% | | 2021 | 11 | 151 months | 100% | | 2022 | 31 | 156 months | 94% | | 2023 | 29 | 120 months | 97% | | 2024 | 27 | 120 months | 93% | | 2025 | 27 | 151 months | 100% | ## Limits of These Numbers The data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced, and the prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Fort Drum, New York, is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and not in this federal court. The records cannot show the facts of any case or why a judge went below the guideline range. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (229). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-new-york/) (overview) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.