Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025
24 people were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Southern District of Florida in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 23 received a prison term, and the median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years), compared with 30 months in all 94 federal districts together.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY201 › Extortion and Racketeering: Southern District of Florida
In brief: 24 people were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Southern District of Florida in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 23 received a prison term, and the median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years), compared with 30 months in all 94 federal districts together.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 24 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 From Fiscal Years 2016 to 2019
20 of the 24 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019. Only 4 were sentenced in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table below shows each year that had cases.
The counts are small, and the records do not show why the numbers fell. The yearly medians range from 21.5 months to 153.5 months, but several years have 1 or 2 people, so they are not a trend.
Prison Terms
23 of the 24 people (96%) received a prison term. The median was 37 months. A quarter received 64.5 months or more, and a quarter received 21 months or less.
Across all 94 districts, 1,515 people were sentenced for this offense type, and 81% were sent to prison. The median prison term there was 30 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 32 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
Guidelines Used
The offense type is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Extortion/Racketeering" category. The primary guidelines were varied. §2B3.2 (Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage) was used for 9 people.
§2E1.4 (Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire) was used for 6, §2B3.3 (Blackmail and Similar Forms of Extortion) for 4, and §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) for 3.
These cases were less than 1% of the 17,081 people sentenced in the district in the same years.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 21.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 1 | 37 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 5 | 26.5 months | 3 of 5 |
| 2019 | 10 | 39.5 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 84 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 153.5 months | 2 of 2 |
Pleas and Trials
22 of 24 (92%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate in all 94 districts for this offense type was 95%.
The median prison term was 37 months after a guilty plea and 245 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people. Among the guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Compared With the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the federal guidelines. 16 sentences (67%) were within it. 2 (8%) were below the range at the government's request, and 5 (21%) were below without a government request. 1 (4%) was above the range.
In all 94 districts, 36% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 55%. A mandatory minimum applied to 2 of the 24 people (8%).
Supervision, Fines, and History
23 people (96%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 people (13%), and restitution for 10 (42%).
67% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 4% were in the highest.
What Cannot Be Learned Here
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and no individual case can be described from these numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (24). 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 Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, 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.