Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 32% of guilty pleas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were straight pleas, entered without a written plea agreement. The district sentenced 7,801 people, and 56% of sentences fell within the guideline range, higher than the 48% share for all federal districts. T
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In brief: In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 32% of guilty pleas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were straight pleas, entered without a written plea agreement. The district sentenced 7,801 people, and 56% of sentences fell within the guideline range, higher than the 48% share for all federal districts. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 7,801 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.
Straight Pleas Were Common Here
Of the 7,801 people sentenced, 7,614 (98%) pleaded guilty and 187 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate for all districts was 97%.
A written plea agreement accompanied 66% of guilty pleas. The other 32% were straight pleas. In a straight plea, the person pleads guilty to the charges without a deal with the prosecutor.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. The 181 people convicted at trial and sent to prison had a median of 195 months. The records do not match these groups by offense or criminal history, so the comparison does not show the effect of choosing a trial.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range
The federal Sentencing Guidelines recommend a range of months based on the offense and criminal history. Guideline position was recorded for 7,381 people in this district.
In all, 4,137 (56%) received a sentence within the range. That was higher than the 48% across all districts.
Below-range sentences at the government's request numbered 1,872 (25%). Below-range sentences without a government request numbered 1,130 (15%). Above-range sentences numbered 242 (3%).
Prison, Probation, and the Length of Terms
Prison terms were imposed on 6,487 people (83%), lower than the national rate of 91%. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 1,198 people (15%).
Among those sent to prison, the median term was 60 months. A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. Life sentences were imposed on 17 people.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,624 people. All prison terms here are terms imposed, not time served.
What Offenses Were Sentenced?
Drug trafficking led with 2,688 people (34%) and a median of 87 months. Firearms followed with 1,697 (22%) and a median of 54 months.
The Commission's "Other" category held 682 people (9%), with a median of 0.5 months. Drug possession, 198 people (3%), had a median of 0.1 months. Fraud, theft, or embezzlement accounted for 615 (8%) and immigration for 587 (8%).
Robbery, with 333 people, and child pornography (images of child exploitation), with 139 people, each had a median of 120 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 2,688 | 34% | 87 months | 97% |
| Firearms | 1,697 | 22% | 54 months | 98% |
| Other | 682 | 9% | 0.5 months | more than 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 615 | 8% | 24 months | 99% |
| Immigration | 587 | 8% | 11 months | 99% |
| Robbery | 333 | 4% | 120 months | 95% |
| Drug Possession | 198 | 3% | 0.1 months | 100% |
| Child Pornography | 139 | 2% | 120 months | 98% |
Fines, Restitution, and Supervised Release
Fines were ordered for 1,253 people (16%) and restitution for 1,194 (15%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 6,314 (81%), with a median of 36 months, and 66 people received supervised release for life.
Criminal history category I, the lowest, included 34% of people sentenced. Category VI, the highest, included 15%.
Military Installations in the District
Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and Seymour Johnson AFB are located in this district and appear in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial at those installations are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. None of the figures on this page come from courts-martial.
Year-by-Year Totals
The district sentenced 2,925 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 4,876 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2021 had the most, 922. The yearly median prison term was 48 months in 2018 and 72 months in both 2023 and 2024.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 651 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 654 | 51 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 744 | 48 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 876 | 54 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 708 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 922 | 69.5 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 761 | 63 months | 96% |
| 2023 | 847 | 72 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 827 | 72 months | more than 99% |
| 2025 | 811 | 66 months | 99% |
What Cannot Be Read From These Records
The Sentencing Commission counts only people convicted and sentenced; acquittals and dismissals are missing. The records cannot show why straight pleas were common in this district or why yearly medians changed.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (7,801). 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)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Drug Possession: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Seymour Johnson AFB vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Drug Distribution: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (installation comparison)
- 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.