Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of New York, 32 people were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Probation only was the most common result: 15 people (47%). A prison term went to 14 (44%), with a median of 6 months. In all 94 districts, 70% were sent to prison and the med
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY201 › Commercialized Vice: Eastern District of New York
In brief: In the Eastern District of New York, 32 people were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Probation only was the most common result: 15 people (47%). A prison term went to 14 (44%), with a median of 6 months. In all 94 districts, 70% were sent to prison and the median was 18 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 32 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.
Probation Was Common in This District
Of the 32 people, 15 (47%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Prison went to 14 (44%).
Across all districts, 70% of people sentenced for this offense type were sent to prison. The share in this district is lower.
For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 27 months. That figure covers every offense type, not only this one.
Short Prison Terms
Among the 14 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 6 months. A quarter received 14.3 months or more, and a quarter received 0.5 months or less.
The median across all districts was 18 months, which is higher. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 32 people.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 11 people (34%), with a median term of 24 months.
Gambling and Sex Offense Guidelines
"Commercialized Vice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it covers more than one kind of conduct. The most common primary guideline was §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses), used for 25 people.
The other was §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor), used for 7 people.
Because most cases fall under the gambling guideline, the district numbers mostly describe that kind of case. These cases were less than 1% of the 6,411 people sentenced in the district.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
Most sentences, 17 (53%), were below the range without a request from the government. Another 7 (22%) were below the range at the government's request, and 7 (22%) were within the range. One sentence (3%) was above the range.
Across all districts, 42% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 24%.
Pleas and Criminal History
Of the 32 people, 30 (94%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 97% pleaded guilty. With only 2 trial convictions, the records cannot support a comparison of trial and plea sentences.
Among the guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement, and 7% were straight pleas. In criminal history, 84% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 0% were in the highest (Category VI).
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 18 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 14 people. Fiscal years 2016 and 2017 have 8 people each, and several years have only 1.
Medians for single years rest on very small groups, so the table does not show a trend. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. A fine was ordered for 8 people (25%), and restitution for 0 (0%).
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 | 2.6 months | 6 of 8 |
| 2017 | 8 | 6 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2018 | 1 | 9.4 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | 25 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 3 | 16 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 2 | 17.3 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 7 | 4 months | 7 of 7 |
Limits of the Records
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not give case details or reasons for a sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Commercialized Vice" (32). 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 New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, 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.