Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025
Of the 28 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 17 (61%) received probation only and 9 (32%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 6 months, compared with 5 months across all 94 federal districts. A fine was ordered for
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–20 › Environmental Offense: District of South Dakota
In brief: Of the 28 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 17 (61%) received probation only and 9 (32%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 6 months, compared with 5 months across all 94 federal districts. A fine was ordered for 12 people (43%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 28 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 Was the Most Common Result
17 of the 28 (61%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. 9 (32%) were sent to prison. Across all 94 districts, where 1,638 people were sentenced for environmental offenses, 28% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 5 months.
Among the 9 sent to prison, a quarter received 8 months or more, and a quarter received 2 months or less. For all offenses in the district, the median was 36 months.
Fines and Restitution
A fine was ordered for 12 people (43%) and restitution for 23 (82%). The records do not show the amounts.
7 people (25%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 12 months.
Fish, Wildlife, and Plants
The Commission's type is "Environmental". In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants), used in 25 cases.
These cases are less than 1% of the 5,041 people sentenced in the district. 16 were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 12 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
26 of 28 (93%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 5 months after a guilty plea and 22 months after a trial, based on 2 people.
All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 28. Across all districts, 98% pleaded guilty.
Position Against the Guideline Range
The advisory guideline range was recorded for 27 people. 67% of sentences (18) were within it. 15% (4) were below it at the government's request, 19% (5) were below it without a government request, and none was above it.
Across all districts, 50% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 57%.
Most Years Had Few or No Cases
Fiscal year 2018 had 11 people, and fiscal year 2020 had 7. Fiscal years 2017, 2022, and 2024 have no row in the table. Years with 1 person show a median that is a single sentence.
The table is better read as a list of when cases occurred than as a trend. In criminal history, 63% were in the lowest category I and 0% in the highest VI.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 8 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2018 | 11 | 3.5 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 4 | 8 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 7 | 11.1 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2021 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 36 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted, and the records give no details of any case. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (28). 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 South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, 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.