Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025
36 people were sentenced in the District of Puerto Rico for extortion and racketeering offenses, with sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 26 (72%) received a prison term, and the median was 24 months. For all 94 districts, 81% were sent to prison and the median was 30 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–202 › Extortion and Racketeering: District of Puerto Rico
In brief: 36 people were sentenced in the District of Puerto Rico for extortion and racketeering offenses, with sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 26 (72%) received a prison term, and the median was 24 months. For all 94 districts, 81% were sent to prison and the median was 30 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 36 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.
Racketeering Guidelines Account for Most Cases
"Extortion/Racketeering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline in each case. In Puerto Rico, 25 of the 36 people were sentenced under §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations).
The next most common was §2B3.2 (Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage), for 6 people. §2E1.4 (Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire) was used for 2, and §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) for 1. The cases were less than 1% of the 9,794 people sentenced in the district.
How Many Were Sent to Prison, and for How Long?
Of the 36 people, 26 (72%) received a prison term. The other 10 (28%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. In all districts, 81% of people sentenced for this offense type were sent to prison.
The median prison term in Puerto Rico was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 46.5 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less. The median for all districts was 30 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 60 months.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
34 of the 36 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts was 95%. Among guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement and 3% were straight pleas.
The median prison term was 22.5 months after a guilty plea and 55.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people, so it should not be read as a pattern.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Within the range were 14 sentences (39%). Below the range at the government's request were 8 (22%), and below it without a government request were 9 (25%). Above the range were 5 sentences (14%).
For all districts, 36% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in Puerto Rico, 54% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 36 people (6%).
Supervised Release, Fines, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 26 people (72%), with a median term of 36 months. No fine was ordered (0%), and restitution was ordered for 5 (14%).
In criminal history, 92% were in the lowest category and 3% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and What Cannot Be Told From Them
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 13 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 23. The table lists only the years with sentences, and no year had more than 12 people. Counts this small do not show a trend.
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records cannot show why this district's figures differ from the national ones.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 24 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 8 | 24 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2019 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 5 | 42 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2022 | 2 | 44.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 12 | 15 months | 92% |
| 2024 | 4 | 21 months | 4 of 4 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Puerto Rico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (36). 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.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
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 Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, 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.