Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025
30 people were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the District of South Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 10 (33%) received a prison term, with a median of 18 months, the same as the 18 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. 9 (30%) received probation only.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016– › Commercialized Vice: District of South Carolina
In brief: 30 people were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the District of South Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 10 (33%) received a prison term, with a median of 18 months, the same as the 18 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. 9 (30%) received probation only.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 30 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.
Gambling Cases Were the Largest Group
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Commercialized Vice" is a category that groups several guidelines. For 22 of the 30 people, the primary guideline was §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses). For 8, it was §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 6,874 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. There were 11 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 19 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
10 people (33%) received a prison term, and 9 (30%) received probation only. In all districts, 70% of the 992 people in this offense type were sent to prison, so prison was less common here.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 18 months. A quarter received 38.2 months or more, and a quarter received 12.5 months or less. For all offenses in the District of South Carolina, the median was 48.2 months.
The table lists terms as imposed, not time served. Several years show n/a because the median is not available for those years.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 5 | 84 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 5 | 14 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 8 | 12 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 41 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 30 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2025 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
Guilty Pleas
29 of 30 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The rate was 97% in all districts and 98% for all offenses in the district.
83% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement. The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in this data.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Of the 30 people with this information, 43% (13) were sentenced within the range. 37% (11) were below it at the government's request, and 10% (3) were below it without a government request. 10% (3) were above the range.
In all districts, 42% of sentences were within the range, about the same as this group. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 47%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
10 people (33%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. 3 (10%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 3 people (10%), and restitution for 2 (7%). A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 30 people with that information recorded.
Criminal History
87% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the military side has no comparable measure.
Small Groups and Limits
No year has more than 8 people, and the table has no rows for fiscal years 2017 and 2020. Medians of 84 months in fiscal year 2018 and 12 months in fiscal year 2021 come from groups of 5 and 8 people, so they do not show a trend.
Joint Base Charleston, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, and Shaw AFB lie within this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not counted here. The data does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Carolina") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Commercialized Vice" (30). 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 South Carolina, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of South Carolina, 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.