Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
In the Western District of Wisconsin, 13 people were sentenced for environmental offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 10 (77%) received probation only, and 3 (23%) received a prison term. For all 94 districts, 28% were sent to prison.
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In brief: In the Western District of Wisconsin, 13 people were sentenced for environmental offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 10 (77%) received probation only, and 3 (23%) received a prison term. For all 94 districts, 28% were sent to prison.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 13 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 People Received Probation Only
10 of the 13 people (77%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. 3 (23%) received a prison term.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 1.4 months. A quarter received 3.2 months or more, and a quarter received 0.7 months or less. With only 3 people sent to prison, these figures rest on very few cases.
For all 94 federal districts together, the environmental offense type had 1,638 people, 28% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 5 months. The share sent to prison was lower in this district.
Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Guideline
"Environmental" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants) with 10 people. One person had §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides).
These cases were less than 1% of the 1,403 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 59.5 months.
Fines
A fine was ordered for 11 people (85%). Restitution was ordered for 1 (8%).
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2 people (15%), with a median term of 36 months.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
11 people had the guideline range information. 55% (6) were sentenced within the range. 18% (2) were below the range at the government's request, and 27% (3) were below the range without a government request. None were above the range.
Within the range was 50% for all 94 districts in this offense type and 32% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 13 people with that information recorded (0%).
Guilty Pleas and Criminal History
All 13 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. For all 94 districts, guilty pleas were 98% in this offense type.
73% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 7 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 6 people. The table lists 7 fiscal years, each with 1 to 3 people. Most list the median prison term as n/a. These counts are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 1.4 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
What the Data Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not show the harm or the size of any environmental violation, and they do not explain why a case ended in probation or in prison.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (13). 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 Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, 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.