Federal Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025
Immigration was the most common offense type in the Northern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,096 of the 3,763 people sentenced, or 29%. Their median prison term was 2.6 months. Across all offenses, the district's median prison term was 24 months, the same as for all 94 federal d
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In brief: Immigration was the most common offense type in the Northern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,096 of the 3,763 people sentenced, or 29%. Their median prison term was 2.6 months. Across all offenses, the district's median prison term was 24 months, the same as for all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,763 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.
Immigration Cases Outnumbered Drug Cases
The Sentencing Commission counted 1,096 immigration sentences in this district (29%) and 1,038 drug trafficking sentences (28%). Immigration was the only offense type larger than drug trafficking.
Prison terms for these offense types were not close. The immigration median was 2.6 months. The drug trafficking median was 60 months.
Fraud, theft, or embezzlement accounted for 356 people (9%) and firearms for 298 (8%). The category the Commission labels Other had 203 people (5%).
Child Pornography and Sexual Abuse Sentences
There were 229 child pornography cases (6%), referred to here as images of child exploitation as well. The median prison term for them was 120 months, and 96% pleaded guilty.
Sexual abuse cases numbered 168 (4%), with a median of 202 months. Money laundering had 102 people (3%) and a median of 52.5 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 1,096 | 29% | 2.6 months | 97% |
| Drug Trafficking | 1,038 | 28% | 60 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 356 | 9% | 18 months | 95% |
| Firearms | 298 | 8% | 37 months | 98% |
| Child Pornography | 229 | 6% | 120 months | 96% |
| Other | 203 | 5% | 18 months | more than 99% |
| Sexual Abuse | 168 | 4% | 202 months | 92% |
| Money Laundering | 102 | 3% | 52.5 months | 98% |
Within-Range Sentences Were the Most Common Result
Of 3,694 people with guideline information, 1,954 (53%) were sentenced within the guideline range. The all-district figure was 48%.
Sentences below the range at the government's request numbered 798 (22%). Sentences below the range without such a request numbered 901 (24%). 41 (1%) were above the range.
Prison Terms, Life Sentences, and Mandatory Minimums
A prison term was imposed on 3,333 people (89%). Probation only was imposed on 397 (11%). Across all districts, 91% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 24 months, or 2 years. A quarter received 71 months or more, and a quarter received 4 months or less. 5 people received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term, a statutory floor, applied to 1,290 people.
Pleas and Trials
3,632 of the 3,763 people (97%) pleaded guilty, matching the all-district rate. 131 were convicted after a trial.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 24 months. After a trial, it was 63.5 months, a figure based on 118 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
Written plea agreements were part of 69% of guilty pleas. 29% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Supervision and Other Penalties
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2,514 people (67%), with a median term of 36 months. 93 people (2%) received supervised release for life.
Fines were ordered for 412 people (11%) and restitution for 551 (15%). 62% of people sentenced were in criminal history category I and 5% in category VI.
Fort Drum and the Federal Court
Fort Drum, New York, is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in the federal district court, so none of the figures above come from courts-martial.
Yearly Totals and Limits
The district sentenced 1,438 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,325 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2024 had the most, at 507.
Only convicted and sentenced people are in this data. Acquittals and dismissals are not counted, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 317 | 30 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 345 | 24 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 384 | 24 months | 95% |
| 2019 | 392 | 18 months | 94% |
| 2020 | 305 | 30 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 235 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 400 | 41 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 459 | 24 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 507 | 24 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 419 | 18 months | 98% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (3,763). 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 Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Fort Drum vs. Federal Court in the Northern District of New York (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.