Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025
Of 19 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 10 (53%) received a prison term, and 6 (32%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months. Only 1 person (5%) was sentenced within the guideline range.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2 › Environmental Offense: Western District of Washington
In brief: Of 19 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 10 (53%) received a prison term, and 6 (32%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months. Only 1 person (5%) was sentenced within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 19 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.
Most Received Prison, Though Not All
The Sentencing Commission's "Environmental" offense type has 19 people in this district. 10 (53%) were sentenced to prison, and 6 (32%) to probation only.
The median prison term was 6 months. A quarter received 17 months or more, and a quarter received 3.2 months or less. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Sentences Below the Guideline Range
Only 1 of 19 people (5%) was sentenced within the guideline range. 9 (47%) were below it at the government's request, and another 9 (47%) were below it without a request. None were above it.
Nationally, 50% were within the range for this offense type. For all offenses in this district, the share is 35%. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 19 people.
National Totals for Comparison
The national group has 1,638 people. 28% went to prison, and the median prison term was 5 months. This district sent a higher share to prison, and its median was a little higher. Environmental cases were less than 1% of the 3,992 people sentenced in the district.
Plea and Trial Results
15 people (79%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. Nationally, guilty pleas were 98%, and for all offenses in the district they were 97%. Every plea had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 6 months after a plea and 9.5 months after a trial. The trial median is based on 2 people who were sent to prison. It cannot support a general comparison.
What the Guidelines Show
10 people were under §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants). 6 were under §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides). 3 were under §2Q1.3 (Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants).
The offense type is the Commission's own grouping of these guidelines. The guideline names describe categories of conduct, such as wildlife offenses or pollutants, and do not describe the facts of any single case.
Fines, Restitution, and Prior Record
A fine was ordered for 8 people (42%), and restitution for 3 (16%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 8 (42%), with a median term of 30 months.
84% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 9. Yearly counts run from 1 to 6, and several years have no row. The table shows no trend.
Bremerton, Washington and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington lie within the district's boundaries. Military trials are held in separate military courts. People who were acquitted or had their case dismissed do not appear in these figures.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 6 | 6 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2018 | 2 | 12.5 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | 3 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 4 | 18 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 months | 2 of 3 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (19). 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 Washington, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Washington, 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.