> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-new-york/ - Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:05.000Z - Description: In the Eastern District of New York, 877 of the 6,411 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (14%) received probation only. The share sent to prison, 84%, was lower than the 91% for all 94 federal districts. Those who did go to prison had a median term of 27 months, against 24 months national - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › Eastern District of New York **In brief:** In the Eastern District of New York, 877 of the 6,411 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (14%) received probation only. The share sent to prison, 84%, was lower than the 91% for all 94 federal districts. Those who did go to prison had a median term of 27 months, against 24 months nationally. 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 6,411 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/). ## Probation-Only Sentences A probation-only sentence means no prison or other confinement. In this district, 877 people received one, or 14% of everyone sentenced. 5,397 people (84%) received a prison term. The all-district share was 91%. Among people sent to prison, the median was 27 months, or 2.2 years. A quarter received 68.5 months or more. A quarter received 6 months or less. 36 people were sentenced to life. ## Which Offenses Were Sentenced Most Often? Drug trafficking led with 1,903 people (30%) and a median prison term of 26 months. Fraud, theft, or embezzlement was second, at 1,184 people (18%) and a median of 13 months. Firearms had 549 people (9%). Immigration had 465 (7%), and robbery had 425 (7%). Money laundering accounted for 318 people (5%). Murder cases numbered 233 (4%). Their median prison term was 216 months, and 85% of those people pleaded guilty. Tax cases, 216 of them, had a median of 7 months. | Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | Drug Trafficking | 1,903 | 30% | 26 months | 97% | | Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 1,184 | 18% | 13 months | 94% | | Firearms | 549 | 9% | 37 months | 96% | | Immigration | 465 | 7% | 12 months | more than 99% | | Robbery | 425 | 7% | 63 months | 96% | | Money Laundering | 318 | 5% | 14 months | 91% | | Murder | 233 | 4% | 216 months | 85% | | Tax | 216 | 3% | 7 months | 97% | ## Below the Range Without a Government Request Of the 6,408 people with guideline information, 2,760 (43%) received a sentence below the range that the government had not asked for. That was the most common position. 2,018 sentences (31%) were below the range at the government's request. 1,515 (24%) were within the range, which is lower than the 48% across all districts. 115 (2%) were above the range. ## Trial Sentences Compared With Plea Sentences 6,086 of the 6,411 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 325 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate for all districts was 97%. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 24 months. The median after a trial was 90 months, based on 303 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. These totals mix offense types, so they do not compare like cases. 92% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 8% were straight pleas. ## Mandatory Minimums and Criminal History A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,860 people (29%). Statutory minimums limit how low a judge can go. 59% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I. 7% were in category VI. ## Supervised Release and Money Orders Supervised release was ordered for 4,862 people (76%), with a median term of 36 months. 19 people, less than 1%, received it for life. Restitution was ordered for 1,756 people (27%). Fines were ordered for 482 (8%). ## Sentences Over Time and Gaps in the Data The district sentenced 2,820 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 3,591 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Fiscal year 2020 had the fewest, 360\. The yearly median prison term ranged from 18 months to 36 months. The Sentencing Commission counts only people convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are missing. The prison terms are imposed terms, not time served. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 796 | 24 months | 95% | | 2017 | 739 | 24 months | 93% | | 2018 | 663 | 24 months | 95% | | 2019 | 622 | 36 months | 96% | | 2020 | 360 | 18 months | 96% | | 2021 | 498 | 18 months | 95% | | 2022 | 693 | 27 months | 96% | | 2023 | 709 | 33 months | 94% | | 2024 | 727 | 33 months | 94% | | 2025 | 604 | 36 months | 96% | ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (6,411). 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.