Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025
Of the 25 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the District of Montana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 20 (80%) received probation only and 5 (20%) received a prison term. Nationally, 28% were sent to prison. A fine was ordered for 17 people (68%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 › Environmental Offense: District of Montana
In brief: Of the 25 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the District of Montana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 20 (80%) received probation only and 5 (20%) received a prison term. Nationally, 28% were sent to prison. A fine was ordered for 17 people (68%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 25 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.
Probation Only for 80%
Prison was the exception in this group. Only 5 of the 25 people were sent to prison, and 20 received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
In all 94 districts, 1,638 people were sentenced for environmental offenses, and 28% were sent to prison. The Montana share sent to prison, 20%, is lower than that figure.
Fines and Restitution
A fine was ordered for 17 people (68%), and restitution for 7 (28%).
Supervised release after prison was ordered for the 5 people who went to prison (20% of the group), with a median term of 36 months.
The Few Prison Terms
The median prison term among the 5 people was 18 months. A quarter received 18 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. The national median was 5 months, and the Montana median for all offenses was 40 months.
With only 5 people, one case can move these figures a great deal.
Fish, Wildlife, and Plants
The Commission's offense type is "Environmental." The most common primary guideline was §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants), with 12 people. The next 3 guidelines each had 2 people: §2Q1.3 (Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants), §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides), and §2Q1.1 (Knowing Endangerment Resulting From Mishandling Hazardous or Toxic Substances, Pesticides or Other Pollutants).
Environmental cases were less than 1% of the 3,524 people sentenced in the district.
Guideline Range and Pleas
Of the 20 people with the information recorded, 10 (50%) were within the guideline range. Another 4 (20%) were below it at the government's request, and 6 (30%) were below it without that request. None was above the range. The national share within the range was also 50%.
A total of 23 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 6 months after a guilty plea and 18 months after a trial. Every guilty plea, 100%, came with a written plea agreement.
Criminal History and Mandatory Minimums
No mandatory minimum applied to any of the 25 people. In criminal history category I, the lowest, 75% of the group were placed, and 0% were in category VI. The military records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 12 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 13 people. The table lists 1 to 7 people per year, and several years show n/a for the median because too few people went to prison. The 2025 median of 46 months comes from 5 people sentenced that year.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 18 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2018 | 7 | 6 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 4 | 18 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 5 | 46 months | 5 of 5 |
Scope of the Records
Malmstrom AFB, Montana, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not included.
The data counts only convictions that reached sentencing. Prison terms are those imposed, not served. It does not describe the type of pollution or wildlife involved in any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Montana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Montana") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (25). 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.
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)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- 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.