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# Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-extortion-racketeering-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:31:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:31:45.000Z
- Description: 183 people were sentenced for extortion and racketeering offenses in the Southern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 22 months, compared with 30 months across all 94 federal districts. 96% pleaded guilty, and after a trial the median was 60.5 months, based
- 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 Southern District of New York, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-new-york/) › Extortion and Racketeering: Southern District of New York

**In brief:** 183 people were sentenced for extortion and racketeering offenses in the Southern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 22 months, compared with 30 months across all 94 federal districts. 96% pleaded guilty, and after a trial the median was 60.5 months, based on 8 people.

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 183 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/).

## The Most Common Guidelines

"Extortion/Racketeering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for this group. The most common primary guideline was §2B3.2 (Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage), with 62 people. Next was §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) with 38 people.

§2E4.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco) applied to 28 people. §2E5.1 (Offering, Accepting, or Soliciting a Bribe or Gratuity Affecting the Operation of an Employee Welfare or Pension Benefit Plan) applied to 18 people. These cases were 2% of the 12,035 people sentenced in the district.

## Prison Terms

157 of the 183 people (86%) received a prison term, and 13 (7%) received probation only. The median prison term was 22 months. A quarter received 37 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less.

Across all 94 districts, 81% were sent to prison and the median was 30 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 33 months.

## Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements

175 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 8 were convicted after a trial. The plea rate was 95% across all 94 districts and for all offenses in this district.

After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 20 months. After a trial, it was 60.5 months. A base of 8 cases is small, and the records cannot show what separates the plea and trial groups.

Of the guilty pleas, 82% were made under a written agreement, and 18% were straight pleas.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

Under the Commission's rules, each case has a guideline range. 42 sentences (23%) were within it. 37 (20%) were below it at the government's request, 100 (55%) were below it with no government request, and 4 (2%) were above it.

The within-range share was 36% across all 94 districts and 22% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 of the 181 people with that information recorded (6%).

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 141 people (77%), and the median term was 36 months. Fines were ordered for 24 people (13%) and restitution for 53 people (29%).

57% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category (Category I), and 5% were in the highest (VI). The military records on this site do not track criminal history.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

The district sentenced 96 people in this offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 87 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Single years ranged from 8 people in fiscal year 2025 to 34 people in fiscal year 2018.

Medians range from 0 months in fiscal year 2024 to 49.5 months in fiscal year 2022\. Years with fewer than 10 people should be read with care. Each fiscal year starts October 1.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 15               | 32.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2017        | 27               | 12 months     | 100%           |
| 2018        | 34               | 24 months     | 94%            |
| 2019        | 20               | 24 months     | 100%           |
| 2020        | 15               | 24 months     | 87%            |
| 2021        | 21               | 20 months     | 95%            |
| 2022        | 9                | 49.5 months   | 8 of 9         |
| 2023        | 23               | 23 months     | 100%           |
| 2024        | 11               | 0 months      | 91%            |
| 2025        | 8                | 21 months     | 7 of 8         |

## What the Records Cannot Show

The data covers only convicted people who were sentenced, and the prison terms are the terms ordered rather than time served.

The records do not describe any organization or the facts of any case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (183). 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 Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-new-york/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-southern-district-of-new-york/) (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.