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# Federal Food and Drug Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-food-and-drug-sentences-western-district-of-washington/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:09:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:09:33.000Z
- Description: Federal courts in the Western District of Washington sentenced 11 people for food and drug offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. Probation only was the sentence for 5 of them (45%), and prison was the sentence for 6 (55%). The median prison term was 3.5 months, compared with 17.3 months for all 94
- 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 Washington, FY2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-washington/) › Food and Drug Offense: Western District of Washington

**In brief:** Federal courts in the Western District of Washington sentenced 11 people for food and drug offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2024\. Probation only was the sentence for 5 of them (45%), and prison was the sentence for 6 (55%). The median prison term was 3.5 months, compared with 17.3 months for all 94 districts.

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 11 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/).

## Short Prison Terms and Frequent Probation

Of the 11 people sentenced, 6 (55%) received a prison term, and 5 (45%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all 94 federal districts, 32% of food and drug cases ended in prison.

Among those sent to prison here, the median prison term was 3.5 months. A quarter received 7 months or more, and a quarter received 3 months or less.

The median for all 94 districts was 17.3 months. The terms in this district were shorter, and the group is small.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 3 months      | 1 of 1         |
| 2017        | 1                | 4 months      | 1 of 1         |
| 2018        | 4                | 2.5 months    | 4 of 4         |
| 2020        | 2                | n/a           | 2 of 2         |
| 2022        | 2                | 8 months      | 1 of 2         |
| 2024        | 1                | 8 months      | 1 of 1         |

## Sentences Mostly Within the Guideline Range

Of the 11 people with the information recorded, 7 (64%) were sentenced within the guideline range. In 3 cases (27%), the sentence was below the range at the government's request, and in 1 case (9%) it was below the range without a government request. None was above the range.

For all 94 districts, 68% of food and drug sentences were within the range. In this district, the share was 64%, which is about the same. For all offenses in the district, only 35% were within the range.

## Pleas, a Trial, and Mandatory Minimums

Of the 11 people, 10 (91%) pleaded guilty and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 3 months. The one person convicted at trial and sent to prison received 8 months.

A single trial case cannot show how trial and plea sentences differ in general. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 11 people (0%).

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 6 people (55%), with a median term of 18 months. A fine was ordered for 5 (45%), and restitution was ordered for 3 (27%).

Criminal history was mostly in the lowest category: 82% were in category I, and 0% were in category VI.

## What Counts as a Food and Drug Case

"Food and Drug" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. It groups cases by the primary guideline used at sentencing.

The most common guideline was §2N2.1 (Violations of Statutes and Regulations Dealing With Any Food, Drug, Biological Product, Device, Cosmetic, or Agricultural Product), used in 7 cases. Next was §2N1.1 (Tampering or Attempting to Tamper Involving Risk of Death or Bodily Injury), used in 3 cases.

## Place Within the District's Caseload

Food and drug cases were less than 1% of the 3,992 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 30 months and guilty pleas were 97%.

The records list 6 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 5 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. No year had more than 4 people, so no trend can be drawn.

## Limits of These Records

The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. It has no acquittals or dismissals, and the prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

Bremerton, Washington, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, so this page reports federal numbers on their own.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Food and Drug" (11). 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](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 Washington, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-washington/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-washington/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-sentences-western-district-of-washington/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-washington/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-washington/) (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.