> ## 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 Commercialized Vice Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-commercialized-vice-sentences-central-district-of-california/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:37:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:37:08.000Z
- Description: Of the 15 people sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the Central District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 7 (47%) received a prison term and 6 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 3 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 federal districts. Gambling offen
- 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 Central District of California, FY2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-central-district-of-california/) › Commercialized Vice: Central District of California

**In brief:** Of the 15 people sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the Central District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 7 (47%) received a prison term and 6 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 3 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 federal districts. Gambling offenses were the most common guideline.

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 15 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/).

## Gambling Was the Main Guideline

The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type is "Commercialized Vice." In this district, 11 of the 15 people were sentenced under §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses) as the primary guideline.

Another 4 were sentenced under §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor). These cases were less than 1% of the 9,958 people sentenced in the district.

## Prison Was Less Common Than Nationally

Prison was ordered for 7 of the 15 people (47%), and 6 (40%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. In all districts, 70% of 992 people sentenced under this type were sent to prison.

Among the 7 who went to prison, the median term was 3 months. A quarter received 19.5 months or more, and a quarter received 1.5 months or less. The median for all districts was 18 months, and for all offenses in this district it was 37 months.

These are terms imposed, not time served. A group of 7 is small, and one long term would move the quarter figures a great deal.

## Sentences Below the Range at the Government's Request

The most common result was a sentence below the guideline range at the government's request. That applied to 9 of the 15 people (60%). Another 3 (20%) were within the range, 2 (13%) were below it without a government request, and 1 (7%) was above it.

For all districts, 42% of these cases were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 29%. The records do not show what the government requests were based on.

## All 15 People Pleaded Guilty

Every one of the 15 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. The share was 97% in all districts and 95% for all offenses in this district.

All of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 15 people with that information recorded.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 6 people (40%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 4 (27%), and restitution for 3 (20%).

On criminal history, 80% of the people were in category I, the lowest, and none were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Fiscal Years With Cases

The district sentenced 3 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 12 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Cases appear in only some fiscal years, and each fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.

The yearly counts are 2, 3, or 4 people. The yearly medians range from 1 months to 180 months, and the 180-month median in 2022 is based on 2 people. These numbers do not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 3                | 2 months      | 3 of 3         |
| 2022        | 2                | 180 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2023        | 4                | 3 months      | 4 of 4         |
| 2024        | 3                | 27 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2025        | 3                | 1 months      | 3 of 3         |

## What the Records Leave Out

The data include only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not counted, and the conduct in each case is not described.

Fort Irwin, Twentynine Palms, and Vandenberg SFB 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 Central District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California Central") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Commercialized Vice" (15). 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](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 Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-central-district-of-california/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (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.