Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025
10 people were sentenced in the District of Nevada for environmental offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 8 (80%) received a prison term, and the median was 9 months. Across all 94 federal districts, 28% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median was 5 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 › Environmental Offense: District of Nevada
In brief: 10 people were sentenced in the District of Nevada for environmental offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 8 (80%) received a prison term, and the median was 9 months. Across all 94 federal districts, 28% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median was 5 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 10 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.
Prison Was More Common Here Than Nationwide
8 of the 10 people (80%) received a prison term, and 2 (20%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. In all districts, 28% of people in the Commission's "Environmental" offense type were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison in Nevada, the median prison term was 9 months. A quarter received 15.1 months or more, and a quarter received 4.5 months or less. For all districts the median was 5 months, and for all offenses in the District of Nevada it was 33 months.
Which Guidelines Were Used
The Commission assigns the offense type by the primary guideline. The most common in this district was §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants), with 5 people. §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides) had 4, and §2Q1.3 (Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants) had 1.
These cases were less than 1% of the 3,640 people sentenced in the District of Nevada in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
One Trial, 9 Guilty Pleas
9 of the 10 people (90%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Guilty pleas were 98% for this offense type in all districts and 96% for all offenses in this district.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 6 months. After a trial it was 27 months, but that figure is based on a single person and cannot be treated as a pattern. Among the guilty pleas, 8 of 9 had a written plea agreement, and 1 of 9 was a straight plea.
Below the Range at the Government's Request
Within the guideline range: 30% (3 people). Below the range at the government's request: 50% (5). Below the range without a government request: 20% (2). Above the range: 0% (0).
Sentences within the range were 50% for this offense type in all districts and 33% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 10 people.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
8 people (80%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 4 (40%), and restitution for 2 (20%).
All 10 people (100%) were in the lowest criminal history category I, and 0% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
5 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 5 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year in this data starts October 1 and finishes at the end of September. Only 5 years have anyone in this group, with 1 to 3 people each, so the table's medians do not support a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 3 | 27 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2022 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
Limits and Context
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. No case facts are given.
Creech AFB and Nellis AFB, in the district, appear in the site's court-martial data. Those cases are tried in military courts and are not counted in the federal numbers above.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nevada (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nevada") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (10). 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 Nevada, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Nevada, 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.