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# Federal Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:06.000Z
- Description: The District of Delaware sentenced 925 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and immigration cases made up 26% of them, second only to drug trafficking at 32%. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years), compared with 24 months for all federal districts. Guilty pleas accounted for 96% of convic
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › District of Delaware

**In brief:** The District of Delaware sentenced 925 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and immigration cases made up 26% of them, second only to drug trafficking at 32%. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years), compared with 24 months for all federal districts. Guilty pleas accounted for 96% of convictions, and 33 people were convicted after a trial.

Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 925 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Immigration Cases Made Up a Large Share

The district sentenced 925 people over the period. All 94 districts together sentenced 659,036 over the same fiscal years.

Drug trafficking was the most common offense type, with 293 people (32%). Immigration followed closely with 245 (26%). Firearms offenses accounted for 140 (15%), and fraud, theft, or embezzlement for 78 (8%). Sexual abuse (25 people, 3%) and robbery (23 people, 2%) were the next largest groups.

Prison terms by offense type varied widely. Immigration cases had a median of 3.2 months. Drug trafficking cases had a median of 56 months and firearms cases 46 months. Sexual abuse cases had the longest median in the table at 192 months.

| Offense type             | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking         | 293              | 32%               | 56 months     | 97%            |
| Immigration              | 245              | 26%               | 3.2 months    | 100%           |
| Firearms                 | 140              | 15%               | 46 months     | 94%            |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 78               | 8%                | 21 months     | 94%            |
| Sexual Abuse             | 25               | 3%                | 192 months    | 100%           |
| Robbery                  | 23               | 2%                | 84 months     | 96%            |
| Money Laundering         | 22               | 2%                | 24 months     | 77%            |
| Tax                      | 21               | 2%                | 12 months     | 100%           |

## How Long Were the Prison Terms?

Of the 925 people sentenced, 864 (93%) received a prison term. Across all districts the rate was 91%. Another 42 people (5%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.

Among those sent to prison, the median term was 27 months. A quarter received 64.5 months or more, and a quarter received 5.9 months or less. The records show 4 life sentences.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 180 people (19%). Prison terms in this data are the terms the judge imposed, not the time a person actually served.

## Trials Compared With Guilty Pleas

Guilty pleas made up 892 of the 925 convictions (96%), slightly lower than the 97% rate for all districts. Among those pleas, 97% came with a written plea agreement and 3% were straight pleas without one.

The 33 people convicted at trial had longer prison terms in this data. Their median prison term was 111 months, based on 31 people sent to prison. The median after a guilty plea was 24 months.

Trial cases and plea cases in Delaware involved different mixes of offenses and people, and this data does not adjust for that. The difference between the medians is a description, not a measure of what a trial costs a defendant.

## Sentences and the Guideline Range

The guideline range is the span of months the federal Sentencing Guidelines recommend for a given offense and criminal history. The Commission recorded the sentence's position for 924 people in Delaware.

Within the range: 405 sentences (44%). Below the range at the government's request: 293 (32%). Below the range without a government request: 203 (22%). Above the range: 23 (2%).

The national within-range share was 48%, so Delaware's was somewhat lower. The records do not say why sentences fell outside the range.

## Supervision, Money Penalties, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 638 people (69%). The median term was 36 months, and 1 person received supervised release for life.

Fines were ordered for 25 people (3%). Restitution, which repays victims for losses, was ordered for 178 (19%).

In all, 47% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I, the lowest. Only 6% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no comparable criminal history field.

## Year-by-Year Counts and Dover AFB

The district sentenced 355 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 570 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Fiscal year 2025 had the most, with 149 people, and the lowest yearly median prison term in the table, 9.1 months. Fiscal year 2021 had the fewest people, 52, and a median of 58 months.

Dover AFB is located in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial at Dover AFB are tried in military courts, not in the federal district court, so they are not counted here.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 72               | 32 months     | 93%            |
| 2017        | 84               | 36 months     | 98%            |
| 2018        | 77               | 28.5 months   | 95%            |
| 2019        | 122              | 24 months     | 96%            |
| 2020        | 89               | 13 months     | 94%            |
| 2021        | 52               | 58 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 81               | 39.5 months   | 96%            |
| 2023        | 104              | 35 months     | 97%            |
| 2024        | 95               | 24 months     | 97%            |
| 2025        | 149              | 9.1 months    | 99%            |

## What the Sentencing Data Leaves Out

These figures cover only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Sentencing Commission data. With yearly counts this small, a single year's median can change sharply with a handful of cases, and the data cannot explain those movements.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Delaware (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Delaware") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (925). 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.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sentences-outside-guideline-range/)
- [Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-mandatory-minimum-sentences/)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.