Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
21 people were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Northern District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 15 of them were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 6 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. 20 (95%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months (2 y
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY201 › Extortion and Racketeering: Northern District of Georgia
In brief: 21 people were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Northern District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 15 of them were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 6 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. 20 (95%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months (2 years).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 21 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 Cases Came Early in the Period
15 of the 21 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019. 6 were sentenced in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The highest yearly count was 6 people, in fiscal year 2018.
The records do not show why the counts were lower in later years. Counts this small cannot establish a trend.
These cases were less than 1% of the 5,362 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Guidelines Used
"Extortion/Racketeering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's name for the offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2E1.1, Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, with 9 people.
Next was §2B3.2, Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage, with 6. §2E2.1, Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit, and §2E1.4, Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire, each had 2.
Prison Terms
20 of the 21 people (95%) received a prison term, and 1 (5%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For this offense type across all 94 districts, 81% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 24 months. A quarter received 38 months or more, and a quarter received 17.6 months or less. The median across all districts was 30 months, which is higher than here. For all offenses in the Northern District of Georgia, the median was 41 months.
Guideline Range: An Even Split
All 21 people had a guideline range recorded. 43% (9) were sentenced within the range, and 43% (9) were below it at the government's request. 14% (3) were below it without a government request. None was above the range.
Across all districts, 36% of sentences for this offense type were within the range, so within-range sentences were more common here. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 32%.
Pleas and Mandatory Minimums
20 of the 21 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 95% pleaded guilty, the same share. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 96%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 24 months. After a trial it was 18 months, based on 1 person, so the figures cannot show a difference between plea and trial.
Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 21 people with that information recorded.
After Prison, Money Orders, and Criminal History
20 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 8 people (38%), and no fine was ordered (0).
43% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 5% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
The Yearly Table
The median prison term was 37 months in fiscal year 2016, 21 months in fiscal year 2017, and 33 months in fiscal year 2018. In fiscal year 2024 it was 87 months, based on 1 person.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 37 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 5 | 21 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2018 | 6 | 33 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2019 | 1 | 16.6 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 18 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 2 | 22.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 1 | 87 months | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Do Not Cover
Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, because only convicted and sentenced people are counted. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
The sheet does not describe the conduct behind any case. It cannot say how racketeering cases differed from extortion cases in sentencing.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (21). 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 Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, 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.