Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025
119 people were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Eastern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 99 (83%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 33 months, compared with 30 months across all 94 federal districts. After a guilty plea the median was 34
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY201 › Extortion and Racketeering: Eastern District of New York
In brief: 119 people were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Eastern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 99 (83%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 33 months, compared with 30 months across all 94 federal districts. After a guilty plea the median was 34 months, and after a trial it was 33 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 119 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.
Plea and Trial Terms Were About the Same
112 of the 119 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 7 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 34 months after a guilty plea and 33 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 7 people.
The 34-month and 33-month medians are about the same, and the trial group is small. 96% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 4% were straight pleas. Nationally, 95% of people in this type pleaded guilty.
Prison Terms Overall
The Sentencing Commission counts 119 people in this district under the offense type "Extortion/Racketeering." 99 (83%) received a prison term, and 18 (15%) received probation only.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 33 months (2.8 years). A quarter received 56 months or more, and a quarter received 17.1 months or less. Across all districts, the median was 30 months, and 81% went to prison. Across all offenses in this district, the median was 27 months. Each figure is the term the court imposed.
Sentences and the Guideline Range
Of the 119 sentences, 30% (36 people) were within the calculated guideline range. 23% (27 people) were below it at the government's request, 44% (52 people) were below it without such a request, and 3% (4 people) were above it.
In all districts, 36% of sentences for this type were within the range, compared with 24% for all offenses in this district. 8 of the 118 people with mandatory minimum information recorded had one (7%).
Guidelines Behind the Cases
This offense type is a Commission grouping of several kinds of cases. §2B3.2 (Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage) was the primary guideline for 51 people. §2E2.1 (Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit) was the primary guideline for 45. §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) applied to 13 people, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) to 4.
Money Orders, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
22 people (18%) were ordered to pay a fine, and 44 (37%) to pay restitution. 95 people (80%) were placed on supervised release after prison, for a median of 36 months.
60% were in Category I, the lowest criminal history category, and less than 1% were in Category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no such field.
How the Numbers Moved by Year
These cases made up 2% of the 6,411 people sentenced in the district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 52 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 67. In the table, fiscal year 2017 has a median of 60 months, and fiscal year 2020 has a median of 4 months for 7 people.
The records give no reason for the year-to-year differences. People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are outside the Commission data.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 35 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 17 | 60 months | 82% |
| 2018 | 17 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 13 | 48 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 7 | 4 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2021 | 14 | 24 months | 93% |
| 2022 | 15 | 29 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 8 | 35 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 17 | 36 months | 88% |
| 2025 | 6 | 37 months | 5 of 6 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (119). 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 Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, 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.