Federal Commercialized Vice Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025
The records list 13 people sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the Northern District of California, all in fiscal years 2016 to 2018. Of those, 12 (92%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 21 months. In all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type was 18 mo
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY › Commercialized Vice: Northern District of California
In brief: The records list 13 people sentenced for commercialized vice offenses in the Northern District of California, all in fiscal years 2016 to 2018. Of those, 12 (92%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 21 months. In all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type was 18 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.
A Small Group From Fiscal Years 2016 to 2018
The 13 people in this group were all sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2018. The yearly table shows 8 people in 2016, 4 in 2017, and 1 in 2018.
The federal fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The table has no rows after 2018, so these numbers describe a short period and cannot show how the district handled this offense type in later years.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,531 people sentenced in the district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 | 8 months | 6 of 8 |
| 2017 | 4 | 39 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
Gambling and Commercial Sex Guidelines
"Commercialized Vice" is the offense type the U.S. Sentencing Commission uses for gambling and commercial sex offenses involving adults. The Commission sorts each case by its primary guideline.
In this district, 8 people were sentenced under §2E3.1 (Gambling Offenses). Another 5 were sentenced under §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor).
Prison Terms Compared With the National Figures
Of the 13 people, 12 (92%) received a prison term, and no one received probation only.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 37 months or more, and a quarter received 7.5 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 992 people were sentenced for commercialized vice offenses. Of those, 70% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 18 months.
Sentences Mostly Within the Guideline Range
Judges calculate a guideline range in each case. Within that range were 85% (11) of the 13 sentences.
One person (8%) was sentenced below the range at the government's request, and 1 (8%) was sentenced above it. No sentence was below the range without a government request.
Nationally, 42% of sentences in this category were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 24%. The district figure for this category was higher than both.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
Of the 13 people, 11 (85%) pleaded guilty and 2 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 64% had a written plea agreement and 36% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term was 8.5 months after a guilty plea and 34.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 2 people convicted at trial and sent to prison, so it cannot be treated as a pattern.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 13 people.
Supervised Release, Fines, and What Is Missing
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 12 people (92%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 5 (38%), and restitution for none (0%).
On criminal history, 69% were in the lowest category, category I, and 8% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records do not record criminal history.
The data include only people who were convicted and sentenced. They do not show the facts of any case, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California North") 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 Northern District of California, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of California, 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.