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# Federal Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-nebraska/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:28.000Z
- Description: The District of Nebraska sentenced 4,887 people in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Immigration was its second-largest offense type, at 790 people (16%), behind drug trafficking at 2,023 (41%). The median prison term was 57 months (4.8 years), and 48% of sentences were within the guidelin
- 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 Nebraska

**In brief:** The District of Nebraska sentenced 4,887 people in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Immigration was its second-largest offense type, at 790 people (16%), behind drug trafficking at 2,023 (41%). The median prison term was 57 months (4.8 years), and 48% of sentences were within the guideline range, the same share as all 94 districts.

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 4,887 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/).

## Drug Trafficking First, Immigration Second

Drug trafficking cases had a median prison term of 92 months. Immigration cases had a median of 4.9 months, the shortest in the district's table.

Firearms followed, with 487 people (10%) and a 36-month median. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 413 (8%), with a 12-month median.

Child pornography (images of child exploitation) accounted for 277 people (6%), and the median prison term for that group was 84 months. Sexual abuse cases numbered 160, with a 144-month median. Robbery (131) and assault (128) were each 3%.

| Offense type             | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking         | 2,023            | 41%               | 92 months     | 98%            |
| Immigration              | 790              | 16%               | 4.9 months    | more than 99%  |
| Firearms                 | 487              | 10%               | 36 months     | 96%            |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 413              | 8%                | 12 months     | more than 99%  |
| Child Pornography        | 277              | 6%                | 84 months     | 97%            |
| Sexual Abuse             | 160              | 3%                | 144 months    | 89%            |
| Robbery                  | 131              | 3%                | 108 months    | 92%            |
| Assault                  | 128              | 3%                | 24 months     | 96%            |

## Prison Terms in Nebraska

4,547 people (93%) received a prison term, a higher share than the 91% national figure. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 284 (6%).

Prison terms were spread widely. A quarter of them were 120 months or more, and a quarter were 15 months or less. The median was 57 months, and 11 people received a life sentence.

The Sentencing Commission reports the term imposed by the judge, not time served.

## How Did Sentences Compare With the Guidelines?

The guideline range is the sentence range the Sentencing Guidelines recommend for a case. In Nebraska, 2,359 sentences (48%) were within it. That matches the all-district share of 48%.

Below-range sentences at the government's request totaled 1,203 (25%). Below-range sentences without a government request totaled 1,147 (23%). Above the range were 175 (4%). The base for these shares is 4,884 people with guideline information.

A mandatory minimum, a prison floor set by statute, applied to 2,169 people (44%).

## Offutt AFB and the Federal Court

Offutt AFB, Nebraska, is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. The numbers on this page cover federal cases from the whole district. They are not cases from the base.

## Guilty Pleas and Trials

97% of the people sentenced pleaded guilty: 4,749 of 4,887\. 138 people were convicted after a trial. Among the pleas, 80% had a written plea agreement and 20% were straight pleas.

After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 54 months. After a trial, the median was 155.5 months, based on 134 people sent to prison. The trial and plea groups may involve different charges.

## Supervision and Financial Orders

Supervised release was ordered for 4,204 people (86%). The median term was 36 months, and 36 people received supervised release for life.

Restitution was ordered for 640 people (13%). Fines were ordered for 102 (2%). On criminal history, 38% were in category I and 12% in category VI.

## Shifts in the Yearly Median

The district sentenced 2,114 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,773 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The yearly median prison term was 37 months in fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020\. It was 78 months in fiscal year 2023 and 59 months in fiscal year 2025\. The records do not show what lies behind these changes.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 542              | 41 months     | 98%            |
| 2017        | 551              | 46 months     | 98%            |
| 2018        | 494              | 37 months     | 97%            |
| 2019        | 527              | 37 months     | 98%            |
| 2020        | 482              | 37 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 380              | 60 months     | 95%            |
| 2022        | 471              | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2023        | 567              | 78 months     | 97%            |
| 2024        | 440              | 75 months     | 98%            |
| 2025        | 433              | 59 months     | 97%            |

## The Limits of This Data

The Sentencing Commission counts people after conviction and sentencing. Cases dismissed or ending in acquittal are not part of these numbers.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nebraska (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nebraska") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (4,887). 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)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Offutt AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of Nebraska](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-offutt-afb-vs-district-of-nebraska/) (installation comparison)
- [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.