Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
Firearms offenses were the largest category of federal sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri: 3,724 of the 9,425 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 40%. Drug trafficking was second at 2,706 (29%). The district's median prison term was 46 months (3.8 years), compared with 24 mo
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In brief: Firearms offenses were the largest category of federal sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri: 3,724 of the 9,425 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 40%. Drug trafficking was second at 2,706 (29%). The district's median prison term was 46 months (3.8 years), compared with 24 months across all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 9,425 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.
Firearms Cases Ahead of Drug Cases
In this district, more people were sentenced for firearms offenses than for drug trafficking. Firearms cases had a median prison term of 38 months. Drug trafficking cases had a median of 60 months.
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement made up 1,147 sentences (12%), with an 18-month median. Child pornography (images of child exploitation) accounted for 418 (4%), with a 72-month median. Robbery accounted for 286 (3%) and had a 120-month median.
The table also lists 166 sexual abuse cases, with a median of 200 months, and 113 money laundering cases, with a median of 48 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firearms | 3,724 | 40% | 38 months | more than 99% |
| Drug Trafficking | 2,706 | 29% | 60 months | more than 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 1,147 | 12% | 18 months | 98% |
| Child Pornography | 418 | 4% | 72 months | more than 99% |
| Robbery | 286 | 3% | 120 months | 96% |
| Immigration | 177 | 2% | 5.1 months | 100% |
| Sexual Abuse | 166 | 2% | 200 months | 94% |
| Money Laundering | 113 | 1% | 48 months | 93% |
Nearly All Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea
Guilty pleas resolved 9,287 of the 9,425 cases, or 99%. That is higher than the 97% guilty plea share for all districts. Only 138 people were convicted after a trial.
More than 99% of the guilty pleas came with a written plea agreement. Less than 1% were straight pleas.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 46 months. After a trial it was 120 months, based on 134 people sent to prison. The trial group is small, and it may include different kinds of cases than the plea group.
Prison, Probation, and Life Sentences
A prison term was ordered for 8,561 people (91%), the same share as the national figure. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was ordered for 723 (8%).
The median prison term was 46 months. A quarter of the terms were 80 months or more, and a quarter were 24 months or less. 13 people received a life sentence. These are the terms imposed, not the time served.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,212 people (23%).
Supervised Release for Life
Supervised release follows a prison term and puts the person under court supervision. It was ordered for 8,414 people (89%), and the median term was 36 months.
489 people (5%) received supervised release for life. Restitution was ordered for 1,706 (18%), and fines for 240 (3%).
Position Against the Guideline Range
Within-range sentences numbered 3,923, or 42% of the 9,420 records with this information. The national within-range share was 48%.
Below-range sentences at the government's request totaled 2,738 (29%). Below-range sentences without a government request totaled 2,379 (25%). Above-range sentences totaled 380 (4%).
In criminal history, 31% were in category I and 17% were in category VI.
Growth in the Caseload
The district sentenced 3,449 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 5,976 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2019 had the most, 1,192. The yearly median prison term was 36 months in fiscal year 2019 and 57 months in fiscal year 2024.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 740 | 45.5 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 670 | 40 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 847 | 42 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 1,192 | 36 months | 99% |
| 2020 | 925 | 37 months | more than 99% |
| 2021 | 1,065 | 46 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 1,032 | 48 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 954 | 48 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 1,012 | 57 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 988 | 54 months | 98% |
Gaps in the Records
This data counts only people convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are missing, so the figures cannot show how many charged cases failed. The records also do not explain why any charge or sentence was chosen.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (9,425). 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.