Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
7 of the 13 people sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the District of New Jersey (54%) received a sentence above the guideline range. That is the most distinctive number for this offense type. 11 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Commercialized Vice: District of New Jersey
In brief: 7 of the 13 people sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the District of New Jersey (54%) received a sentence above the guideline range. That is the most distinctive number for this offense type. 11 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months.
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.
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the sentence range calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. For the 13 people sentenced under the Commission's "Commercialized Vice" offense type in this district, 5 sentences (38%) were within the range. 1 (8%) was below the range at the government's request, and none was below it without a government request. 7 (54%) were above the range.
For all 94 districts together, 42% of sentences in this category were within the range. For all offenses in the district, 37% were. The records do not show why the sentences here were above the range.
Prison Terms
The offense type was used for 13 people from fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2025, which is less than 1% of the 6,441 people sentenced in the district from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2025.
11 of the 13 (85%) received a prison term, and 1 (8%) received probation only. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 37.5 months or more, and a quarter received 15.9 months or less. In all districts, the category had 992 people, 70% sent to prison, and a median of 18 months. The median for all offenses in the district was 37 months.
Trials Were More Common Than in Other Cases
9 of 13 people (69%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate for all districts in this category was 97%, and it was 97% for all offenses in the district. Guilty pleas were less common here than in either group.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 17 months. After a trial it was 36 months, based on 4 people. All 9 guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
No one had a mandatory minimum prison term recorded.
Guidelines Used
The most common primary guideline was §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses), with 10 people. §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) applied to 3.
In criminal history terms, 69% were in category I, the lowest, and 8% were in category VI, the highest.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
10 people (77%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 4 (31%), and restitution for 1 (8%).
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 8 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 5. The table shows 4 people in each of fiscal years 2018 and 2019 and 1 person in each later year shown. These counts are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 20.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 4 | 36 months | 0 of 4 |
| 2021 | 1 | 14.7 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 33 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") 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 New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, 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.