Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Western District of New York, FY2016–2025
16 people in the Western District of New York were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses, with cases recorded in fiscal years 2016 to 2022. 11 of them (69%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 15 months. In all 94 federal districts, 81% of people in this offense type we
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of New York, FY201 › Extortion and Racketeering: Western District of New York
In brief: 16 people in the Western District of New York were sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses, with cases recorded in fiscal years 2016 to 2022. 11 of them (69%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 15 months. In all 94 federal districts, 81% of people in this offense type were sent to prison and the median was 30 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 16 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.
Shorter Prison Terms Than in All Districts
Among the 11 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 15 months. A quarter received 38.5 months or more, and a quarter received 3.2 months or less. Across all 94 districts, the median for this offense type was 30 months, so the district's median was lower.
For all offenses in the Western District of New York, the median prison term was 41 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Who Went to Prison
11 of the 16 people (69%) received a prison term. 2 (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The share sent to prison was lower than the 81% across all districts.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,205 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Guidelines Behind the Cases
The Commission's "Extortion/Racketeering" offense type covers several kinds of conduct. The most common primary guideline was §2B3.2 (Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage), with 5 people. Next was §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations), with 4 people.
3 people were sentenced under §2E4.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco), and 2 under §2E2.1 (Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit).
Sentences Below the Guideline Range
9 people (56%) were sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request, and 2 (13%) were below it without a request. 5 (31%) were within the range, and none were above it.
In all 94 districts, 36% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 42%. The share within the range here was lower than in both comparison groups.
Pleas and Trial
15 of the 16 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. 93% of the pleas had a written plea agreement, and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 13.5 months. The one person convicted at trial received 36 months. A single case cannot show how trials compare with pleas. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to anyone in this group (0%).
Other Terms and Yearly Counts
10 people (63%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. Restitution was ordered for 6 people (38%). No fine was ordered for anyone (0%). On criminal history, 81% were in the lowest category, and 0% were in the highest.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 12 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 4 people. The table shows between 1 and 5 people in each year, so the medians rest on very few cases and do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 24 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 5 | 28 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2020 | 3 | 30 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Do Not Say
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. The records do not describe the conduct in any case, the group or organization involved, or the reasons for a sentence. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so those figures cannot be compared with military cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (16). 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 Western District of New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western 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.