Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
People convicted at trial in the Eastern District of Louisiana received a median prison term of 240 months, against 57 months for those who pleaded guilty. Across all 2,953 people sentenced there in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months fo
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In brief: People convicted at trial in the Eastern District of Louisiana received a median prison term of 240 months, against 57 months for those who pleaded guilty. Across all 2,953 people sentenced there in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months for all federal districts. Murder was among the district's 6 most common offense types, with 73 people.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,953 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 240-Month Median After Trial
114 people in the district were convicted after a trial. Of those, 107 were sent to prison, and their median prison term was 240 months.
The other 2,839 people pleaded guilty, which is 96% of the total. All federal districts together had a plea rate of 97%. For people who pleaded guilty, the median prison term was 57 months.
These medians describe different groups of cases. The records do not show whether the cases that went to trial were similar to the cases that ended in a plea.
Murder Cases and Life Sentences
The Sentencing Commission listed 73 people sentenced for murder in the district, 2% of the total. Their median prison term was 470 months.
Only 62% of the murder group pleaded guilty. Every other offense type in the table had a plea rate of 92% or higher.
36 people in the district received a life sentence. The records shown here do not say how many of those were murder cases.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 979 | 33% | 78 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 625 | 21% | 18 months | 96% |
| Firearms | 425 | 14% | 60 months | 98% |
| Immigration | 274 | 9% | 5 months | more than 99% |
| Robbery | 106 | 4% | 101 months | 92% |
| Murder | 73 | 2% | 470 months | 62% |
| Child Pornography | 65 | 2% | 81 months | 100% |
| Administration of Justice | 61 | 2% | 21 months | 98% |
The Largest Offense Groups
Drug trafficking led with 979 people (33%) and a median prison term of 78 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement followed with 625 (21%) and a median of 18 months.
Firearms offenses accounted for 425 people (14%), with a median of 60 months. Immigration offenses accounted for 274 (9%), with a median of 5 months. Robbery cases (106 people) had a median of 101 months.
The table also shows 65 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation), all of whom pleaded guilty. Their median prison term was 81 months.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guidelines
Guideline position was recorded for 2,918 people. 1,625 of them (56%) were sentenced within the range, compared with 48% for all districts.
Below-range sentences without a government request went to 624 (21%). Below-range sentences at the government's request went to 565 (19%). 104 people (4%) received a sentence above the range.
Other Sentencing Measures
A prison term was imposed on 2,402 people (81%), a lower share than the national 91%. Probation only went to 437 (15%). Among prison terms, a quarter were 116.5 months or more and a quarter were 21 months or less.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,007 people. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2,303 (78%), with a median of 36 months; 14 received it for life. Restitution was ordered for 818 (28%) and a fine for 170 (6%).
Straight pleas, with no written agreement, made up 33% of guilty pleas, and 67% had a written plea agreement. In criminal history, 49% were in category I and 10% were in category VI. Court-martial records do not track criminal history.
Counts by Fiscal Year
There were 1,267 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 1,686 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025, which covers more years. The yearly count was 184 in fiscal year 2020, the lowest in the table. The yearly median prison term was 36 months that year and 70 months in fiscal year 2022.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 341 | 53.5 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 357 | 51 months | 94% |
| 2018 | 275 | 47 months | 93% |
| 2019 | 294 | 50 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 184 | 36 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 205 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 300 | 70 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 331 | 64.5 months | 96% |
| 2024 | 342 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 324 | 66 months | 97% |
What These Records Cannot Show
The data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. It has no acquittals or dismissed cases, so it cannot show how often trials in the district ended without a conviction. Prison terms are those imposed by the court, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (2,953). 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.