Federal Sentences in the District of Guam, FY2016–2025
The federal court in the District of Guam sentenced 420 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 312 of them (74%) received a prison term. For all 94 federal districts together, 91% were sent to prison. The median prison term in Guam was 33 months (2.8 years), higher than the 24-month median for all
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In brief: The federal court in the District of Guam sentenced 420 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 312 of them (74%) received a prison term. For all 94 federal districts together, 91% were sent to prison. The median prison term in Guam was 33 months (2.8 years), higher than the 24-month median for all districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 420 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 More Common in Guam
In Guam, 100 of the 420 people sentenced (24%) received probation only. Probation only means no prison term and no other confinement.
The prison share in Guam was 74%. Across all districts it was 91%. A smaller share of people in Guam went to prison, but those who did received longer terms at the median than the national figure.
These counts include only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are not part of the Sentencing Commission data.
How Long Were the Prison Terms?
Among the 312 people sent to prison, the median term was 33 months. One in 4 received 70 months or more. At the low end, one in 4 received 10 months or less.
1 person received a life sentence. The figures are terms imposed by the court, not the time a person actually served.
Drug Trafficking Led the Offense Mix
Drug trafficking was the largest offense type, with 167 people, or 40% of the district total. Their median prison term was 57 months.
Fraud, theft, or embezzlement came second with 106 people (25%) and a median of 12 months. Immigration cases numbered 29 (7%), with a median of 3.1 months. Firearms cases numbered 28 (7%), with a median of 12.5 months.
Money laundering accounted for 18 people and bribery or corruption for 10. The offense categories are those the Sentencing Commission assigns, and the table lists the 8 largest.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 167 | 40% | 57 months | 95% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 106 | 25% | 12 months | 96% |
| Immigration | 29 | 7% | 3.1 months | 100% |
| Firearms | 28 | 7% | 12.5 months | 100% |
| Money Laundering | 18 | 4% | 33 months | 83% |
| Bribery/Corruption | 10 | 2% | 9 months | 100% |
| Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses | 8 | 2% | 14.5 months | 8 of 8 |
| Tax | 8 | 2% | 22.5 months | 8 of 8 |
Guilty Pleas and Trials
402 of the 420 (96%) pleaded guilty. The rate for all districts was 97%. 18 people in Guam were convicted after a trial.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 30 months. After a trial it was 120 months. The trial figure rests on only 17 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison, so it is a small group.
Most guilty pleas in Guam came with a written plea agreement: 88%. The other 10% were straight pleas, entered with no agreement.
Sentences Measured Against the Guideline Range
The federal sentencing guidelines set a recommended range for each case. Guideline information exists for all 420 people in Guam.
Of those, 216 (51%) were sentenced within the range. That is slightly higher than the 48% for all districts. Another 137 (33%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request, and 63 (15%) were sentenced below the range without such a request.
Only 4 people received a sentence above the range, which is less than 1%.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 101 people. A mandatory minimum is a floor written into the statute, and the records do not show whether it set the final term.
Criminal History and Terms After Prison
76% of the people sentenced in Guam were in criminal history category I, the lowest category. 3% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no matching field.
307 people (73%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 45 people (11%), and restitution for 101 (24%).
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 215 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 205 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts were small, ranging from 67 in 2016 down to 26 in both 2022 and 2023.
With so few cases per year, the yearly median prison term moves a great deal. It was 16 months in 2016 and 67.5 months in 2022. The table shows every year, and these swings should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 67 | 16 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 55 | 33.5 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 44 | 33 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 49 | 28.5 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 42 | 18 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 37 | 37 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 26 | 67.5 months | 92% |
| 2023 | 26 | 38.5 months | 88% |
| 2024 | 39 | 41 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 35 | 48 months | 94% |
Andersen AFB and What the Data Leaves Out
Andersen AFB, an installation in this site's court-martial data, is located in the District of Guam. Courts-martial of service members are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
The Sentencing Commission records do not show the facts of each case, why a sentence fell where it did, or how the district's cases compare in seriousness with cases elsewhere.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Guam (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Guam") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (420). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range
- Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress
- 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.