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# Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-wisconsin/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:25.000Z
- Description: Only 17% of sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the federal guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district sentenced 2,907 people, and 85% received a prison term, lower than the 91% national figure. The median prison
- 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 Wisconsin

**In brief:** Only 17% of sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the federal guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district sentenced 2,907 people, and 85% received a prison term, lower than the 91% national figure. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), 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 2,907 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/).

## Few Sentences Within the Range

The guidelines give each federal judge a recommended sentencing range. Where the final sentence falls against that range is recorded by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

For the 2,899 people in this district with that information, 507 (17%) were sentenced within the range. 995 (34%) were sentenced below it at the government's request. 1,309 (45%) were below it with no government request. 88 (3%) were above it.

Below-range sentences at the government's request were more common here than within-range sentences. The data shows the result but not the reasons recorded for each departure.

## Nearly Every Plea Came With an Agreement

Guilty pleas resolved 2,841 of the 2,907 cases (98%), compared with 97% in all districts. 66 people were convicted after a trial.

More than 99% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. Less than 1% were straight pleas, made without any agreement.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 48 months. All 66 people convicted at trial were sent to prison, and their median was 128 months. Trial and plea cases involve different offenses, so this gap does not measure the effect of a trial.

## Prison Terms and Probation

2,473 people (85%) received a prison term. 381 (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.

For those sent to prison, a quarter received 92 months or more, and a quarter received 17.1 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence. These figures are terms imposed, not time served.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,095 people (38%).

## Offense Types in Eastern Wisconsin

Drug trafficking accounted for 1,042 people (36%) and had a median prison term of 60 months. Firearms followed with 565 (19%) and a median of 36 months.

Robbery accounted for 341 people (12%), about the same share as fraud, theft, and embezzlement at 337 (12%). Robbery had a median of 97 months, and fraud a median of 20 months.

Child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases numbered 95 (3%), with a median of 75 months. Sexual abuse cases numbered 90 (3%), with a median of 180 months.

| Offense type             | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking         | 1,042            | 36%               | 60 months     | 99%            |
| Firearms                 | 565              | 19%               | 36 months     | 97%            |
| Robbery                  | 341              | 12%               | 97 months     | 97%            |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 337              | 12%               | 20 months     | 97%            |
| Child Pornography        | 95               | 3%                | 75 months     | 99%            |
| Sexual Abuse             | 90               | 3%                | 180 months    | 92%            |
| Immigration              | 88               | 3%                | 3.9 months    | 100%           |
| Money Laundering         | 52               | 2%                | 24.7 months   | 94%            |

## After Prison: Supervision and Payments

Supervised release was ordered for 2,312 people (80%), with a median term of 36 months. 25 (less than 1%) received it for life.

Restitution was ordered for 766 people (26%), and a fine for 76 (3%).

37% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I and 14% in category VI. No criminal history field exists in court-martial records.

## Yearly Totals and Medians

1,126 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 1,781 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025, which is a longer span.

The yearly median prison term moved between 40 months in 2020 and 60 months in 2022 and 2024\. It was 48 months in 2025.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 301              | 42 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2017        | 304              | 47 months     | 98%            |
| 2018        | 252              | 50 months     | 96%            |
| 2019        | 269              | 52 months     | 97%            |
| 2020        | 265              | 40 months     | 97%            |
| 2021        | 263              | 42.5 months   | more than 99%  |
| 2022        | 337              | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2023        | 328              | 42 months     | 98%            |
| 2024        | 286              | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2025        | 302              | 48 months     | more than 99%  |

## Limits of the Commission Data

These counts include only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases ending in acquittal or dismissal are not in the data. Nothing in it explains why sentences here fell within the guideline range less often than in all districts together.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (2,907). 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.