Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
From fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 13 people in the District of Maryland were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses. Of those, 12 (92%) received a prison term, and the median was 18 months, the same as 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 › Commercialized Vice: District of Maryland
In brief: From fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 13 people in the District of Maryland were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses. Of those, 12 (92%) received a prison term, and the median was 18 months, the same as for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 13 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.
How the District Compares With All Districts
The median prison term was 18 months in this district and 18 months across all districts. A higher share was sent to prison here: 92% compared with 70% of 992 people nationwide. For all offenses in the District of Maryland, the median was 48 months.
A quarter of the 12 people sent to prison received 25.5 months or more, and a quarter received 5.8 months or less. One person (8%) received probation only.
Offenses Counted as Commercialized Vice
"Commercialized Vice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned by the primary guideline in each case. Here, 11 cases used §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor). The other 2 used §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses).
These cases were less than 1% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the district.
All 13 Pleaded Guilty
All 13 people pleaded guilty, with a written plea agreement in every case, and none went to trial. Nationwide, 97% pleaded guilty for this offense type.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not show how many people were charged and had their cases dismissed or were acquitted. A guilty plea rate of 100% for 13 people says little about how plea rates compare, because the group is small.
Sentences Were Spread Across Guideline Positions
The sentence was within the guideline range for 3 people (23%). It was below the range at the government's request for 5 (38%), and below it without a request for 2 (15%). For 3 (23%) it was above the range. The group is only 13 people, so each percentage reflects a few cases.
In all districts, 42% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 31% were. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 13 people.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 12 people (92%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 4 (31%), and restitution for 1 (8%).
In criminal history, 77% were in the lowest category and 8% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Small Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 5 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 8. No year had more than 3 people. Yearly medians in the table range from 0 months to 44.5 months, and one year shows no median. Counts this small do not show a trend.
Fort Meade and Joint Base Andrews are in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The records report prison terms imposed, not time served, and cannot show the facts of any case.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 2 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 21 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 3 | 30 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 21 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | 44.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 12 months | 2 of 2 |
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 "Commercialized Vice" (13). 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 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.