Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
The Eastern District of Michigan sentenced 11 people in the Commission's "Commercialized Vice" type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 10 of them were gambling cases. Of the 11, 7 (64%) received a prison term and 4 (36%) received probation only. The median prison term was 0 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY201 › Commercialized Vice: Eastern District of Michigan
In brief: The Eastern District of Michigan sentenced 11 people in the Commission's "Commercialized Vice" type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 10 of them were gambling cases. Of the 11, 7 (64%) received a prison term and 4 (36%) received probation only. The median prison term was 0 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 11 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
The type "Commercialized Vice" is the Commission's category. In this district, 10 of the 11 cases used §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses) as the primary guideline.
The other case used §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor).
The district's group is therefore very different from the all-district group, which has 992 people.
Sentences Below the Guideline Range
Sentences below the guideline range without a government request were the most common result, at 73% (8). Another 9% (1) were below the range at the government's request.
Sentences were within the range for 18% of the people (2), and none was above the range. For this offense type in all districts, 42% of sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in the district, 38%.
Prison Terms and Probation
Of the 11 people, 7 (64%) were sent to prison and 4 (36%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. In all 94 districts, 70% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median term was 0 months. A quarter received 9 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. The median for all districts was 18 months.
For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 36 months.
Pleas and Mandatory Minimums
10 of the 11 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. In all districts, guilty pleas were 97%.
All of the guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 11 people.
Almost All Cases Are From Fiscal Year 2016
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 1 person. Fiscal year 2016 has 9 people, with a median prison term of 0 months.
Fiscal year 2022 has 1 person, with a median prison term of 60 months. The table lists only fiscal years 2016, 2017, and 2022, and 2 of them have 1 person each, so it cannot show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 0 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 2 people (18%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (9%), and restitution for 1 (9%).
In criminal history, 55% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 0% were in the highest (Category VI).
Size of the Group and Gaps in the Data
Commercialized vice cases were less than 1% of the 7,508 people sentenced in the district. Guilty pleas for all offenses in the district were 96%.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Dismissals and acquittals are not in the data, and the records do not give the facts behind any sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Commercialized Vice" (11). 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 Michigan, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, 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.