Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
24 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Commercialized Vice" offense type in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2022 to 2025. 79% received a prison term, with a median of 6 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 federal districts. Most cases used the gambling guideline.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY201 › Commercialized Vice: Eastern District of Kentucky
In brief: 24 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Commercialized Vice" offense type in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2022 to 2025. 79% received a prison term, with a median of 6 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 federal districts. Most cases used the gambling guideline.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 24 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.
Mostly Gambling Offenses, in a Short Time Window
The records list commercialized vice cases in this district only for fiscal years 2022 to 2025, and 24 people were sentenced in that period. The most common primary guideline was §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses), used for 22 people. §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) was used for 2.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,374 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
19 of the 24 people (79%) received a prison term, and 3 (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 6 months. A quarter received 13.5 months or more, and a quarter received 1.5 months or less.
In all 94 districts, the category had 992 people, 70% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 18 months. The district median is lower. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Fines Were Common
A fine was ordered for 15 of the 24 people (63%), and restitution for 0 (0%). 19 people (79%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 24 people (0%).
Guilty Pleas
24 of 24 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 97% pleaded guilty in this category.
Among those who pleaded guilty, 88% had a written plea agreement and 13% entered a straight plea with no agreement.
The Guideline Range
7 people (29%) were sentenced within the advisory guideline range. 5 (21%) were below it at the government's request, and 10 (42%) were below it without a government request. 2 (8%) were above it.
In all districts, 42% of sentences in this category were within the range. For all offenses in this district, it was 54%.
Criminal History and Yearly Counts
79% 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.
The yearly table has 3 people in 2022, 14 in 2023, 2 in 2024, and 5 in 2025. The median prison term is 9 months in 2023, the year with the most people. The groups are small, and the records cannot show why 2023 had more cases. The table lists only fiscal years 2022 to 2025 because those are the years with people in this category in this district.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | 1.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 14 | 9 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 2 | 19 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 5 | 15 months | 5 of 5 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included. The data does not describe the details of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Commercialized Vice" (24). 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 Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, 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.