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# Federal Extortion and Racketeering Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-extortion-racketeering-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:02:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:02:24.000Z
- Description: All 64 people sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Western District of North Carolina pleaded guilty, and all 64 received a prison term. The median prison term was 33 months, compared with 30 months in all 94 districts. Sentences were within the guideline range for 88% of the grou
- 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 Western District of North Carolina,](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-north-carolina/) › Extortion and Racketeering: Western District of North Carolina

**In brief:** All 64 people sentenced for extortion or racketeering offenses in the Western District of North Carolina pleaded guilty, and all 64 received a prison term. The median prison term was 33 months, compared with 30 months in all 94 districts. Sentences were within the guideline range for 88% of the group.

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 64 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/).

## Sentences Close to the Guideline Range

The guideline range is the range calculated under the federal sentencing guidelines. In this district, 56 of 64 people (88%) were sentenced within it. In all 94 districts, 36% of sentences in this offense type were within the range.

A total of 4 people (6%) were below the range without a government request, and 2 (3%) were below it at the government's request. Another 2 (3%) were above the range. For all offense types in this district, 53% were within the range.

## Prison Terms

Every one of the 64 people received a prison term (100%), and none received probation only. The median prison term was 33 months, or 2.8 years. A quarter received 42.2 months or more, and a quarter received 26.5 months or less.

For all 94 districts, 81% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The median for all offense types in this district was 57 months, which is higher than the median for this offense type.

## Concentrated in a Few Years

The Commission's records place these 64 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2020\. The district sentenced 62 in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. No fiscal year after 2020 appears in the table.

The largest year was fiscal year 2018, with 34 people, followed by fiscal year 2019, with 19\. The medians were 27 months in fiscal year 2016, 29 months in 2018, and 41 months in 2019\. Yearly groups this size do not show a trend, and the records cannot show why cases were concentrated in those years.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 9                | 27 months     | 9 of 9         |
| 2018        | 34               | 29 months     | 100%           |
| 2019        | 19               | 41 months     | 100%           |
| 2020        | 2                | 26.5 months   | 2 of 2         |

## Which Guideline Was Used

"Extortion/Racketeering" is the Commission's offense category, assigned from the primary sentencing guideline. Here, 63 cases used §2E1.1 (Unlawful Conduct Relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations). The other case used §2B3.3 (Blackmail and Similar Forms of Extortion).

These cases were 1% of the 4,904 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.

## Pleas and Mandatory Minimums

All 64 pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts was 95%. Because no one went to trial, there is no trial median to compare.

Among guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 9% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 64 people (6%).

## Supervised Release, Money Penalties, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 63 people (98%), and the median term was 24 months. No fine was ordered. Restitution was ordered for 6 (9%).

In criminal history, 23% were in the lowest category (category I) and 11% were in the highest (category VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## What Is Not in the Data

The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the data does not describe the facts of any case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Extortion/Racketeering" (64). 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 Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-north-carolina/) (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.