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# Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-extortion-racketeering-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:35:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:35:03.000Z
- Description: In the Eastern District of Michigan, 25 people were sentenced for extortion and racketeering offenses in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 25 received a prison term, and the median prison term was 33 months, compared with 30 months for the same offense type
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-michigan/) › Extortion and Racketeering: Eastern District of Michigan

**In brief:** In the Eastern District of Michigan, 25 people were sentenced for extortion and racketeering offenses in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records for fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 25 received a prison term, and the median prison term was 33 months, compared with 30 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts. All 25 pleaded guilty.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 25 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## How Many People Were Sentenced, and to What?

The Commission's records list 25 people in this offense type in the district. All 25 (100%) were sent to prison, and none received probation only.

Among all 94 federal districts, 81% of people sentenced for extortion and racketeering were sent to prison. The share in the Eastern District of Michigan is higher than that.

The median prison term in the district was 33 months (2.8 years). A quarter of the people received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 16 months or less. The prison terms are the terms imposed, not the time actually served.

## What Is the Extortion/Racketeering Offense Type?

"Extortion/Racketeering" is the Commission's own category. It groups cases by the main sentencing guideline applied, not by the charge in the indictment.

The most common primary guideline was §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations), used for 12 people. Next was §2B3.2 (Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage), used for 7.

A total of 5 people were sentenced under §2E5.1 (Offering, Accepting, or Soliciting a Bribe or Gratuity Affecting the Operation of an Employee Welfare or Pension Benefit Plan). One person was sentenced under §2E4.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco).

## Guilty Pleas and Plea Agreements

All 25 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, guilty pleas were 95% of this offense type.

Among the guilty pleas in the district, 96% had a written plea agreement. The other 4% were straight pleas with no agreement.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3 of the 25 people (12%).

## Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range

Sentences were within the guideline range for 52% of the people (13). That is higher than the 36% for this offense type in all districts.

A sentence below the range at the government's request was given to 28% (7). A sentence below the range without a government request was given to 20% (5). None was above the range.

For all offenses in the district, 38% of sentences were within the range.

## Cases by Fiscal Year

Nearly all of these cases are from the early part of the period. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 24 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 1.

The yearly table lists only years with at least one person sentenced. The counts are small, and the medians for single years should not be read as a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 4                | 33.5 months   | 4 of 4         |
| 2017        | 5                | 33 months     | 5 of 5         |
| 2018        | 7                | 48 months     | 7 of 7         |
| 2019        | 8                | 18 months     | 8 of 8         |
| 2023        | 1                | 75 months     | 1 of 1         |

## After Prison and Other Penalties

All 25 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median supervised release term was 26 months.

A fine was ordered for 4 people (16%), and restitution was ordered for 6 (24%).

In criminal history, 56% were in the lowest category (Category I) and 8% were in the highest (Category VI).

## How Large Is This Group, and What Is Missing?

Extortion and racketeering cases were less than 1% of the 7,508 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 36 months and guilty pleas were 96%.

The Commission's data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, so the records cannot show how many people were charged with these offenses and not convicted. They also cannot show why one person received a longer term than another.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (25). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.