Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
15 people were sentenced for environmental offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 7 (47%) received a prison term, with a median of 5 months, and 7 (47%) received probation only. This is a very small group, so the percentages move with each person.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Environmental Offense: Western District of Texas
In brief: 15 people were sentenced for environmental offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 7 (47%) received a prison term, with a median of 5 months, and 7 (47%) received probation only. This is a very small group, so the percentages move with each person.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 15 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 and Probation Were Equally Common
7 of the 15 people (47%) received a prison term, and 7 (47%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 5 months. A quarter received 16 months or more, and a quarter received 1.4 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 1,638 people were sentenced for environmental offenses. 28% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 5 months. The share sent to prison was higher in this district, and the median was the same.
Wildlife and Plant Offenses
The Commission's offense type is "Environmental", and it labels the district "Texas West". The most common primary guideline was §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants), with 12 people.
These cases were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district. Across every offense type in the district, the median prison term was 10 months, so the environmental median was lower.
Sentences Below the Range at the Government's Request
Of 14 people with the information, 8 (57%) were below the guideline range at the government's request. 4 (29%) were within the range, and 2 (14%) were below it without a government request. None was above it. Some lines in this post use a base smaller than 15, because the records have the information for only some people.
In all 94 districts, 50% were within the range. No mandatory minimum applied to any of the 13 people with that information recorded (0%).
Pleas and Trials
14 of 15 people (93%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The data gives no median for the trial group. Of the guilty pleas, 86% had a written plea agreement and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement.
In all 94 districts, 98% pleaded guilty.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
7 people (47%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 7 (47%), and restitution for 5 (33%). All 15 were in the lowest criminal history category. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that line has no military comparison.
Yearly Counts
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 5 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 10 people were sentenced. The yearly table has rows for only some fiscal years, with 1 to 4 people in each.
Most rows show no median because the count was too small. The table cannot support any conclusion about a trend. Each fiscal year runs from October 1 of the prior calendar year to the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 3 | 27 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 months | 3 of 4 |
Limits
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear. Courts-martial for installations in the district are tried in military courts and are not part of these figures.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (15). 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 Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, 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.