Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025
Of the 42 people sentenced under the Commission's Forgery/Counter/Copyright offense type in the District of Kansas, all 42 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 27 (64%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 21 months, compared with 17.6 months across all 94 federal districts. Most cases used a gu
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: District of Kansas
In brief: Of the 42 people sentenced under the Commission's Forgery/Counter/Copyright offense type in the District of Kansas, all 42 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 27 (64%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 21 months, compared with 17.6 months across all 94 federal districts. Most cases used a guideline for counterfeit bearer obligations of the United States.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 42 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.
Every Person Pleaded Guilty
The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 42 people in this offense type in the District of Kansas. The sheet's opening count covers fiscal years 2016 to 2024, and the district totals cover 2016 to 2025. All 42 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial.
Among the guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% were straight pleas. The national rate of guilty pleas for this offense type was 98%, and for all offenses in the District of Kansas it was 97%.
Prison Terms in Kansas and Nationally
A prison term went to 27 of the 42 people (64%), and 10 (24%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all districts, 1,994 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 77% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison in Kansas, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 25.5 months or more, and a quarter received 11 months or less. The national median was 17.6 months, so the Kansas median was higher. The median for all offenses in the district was 46 months.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 42 people (2%).
What Is in This Offense Type?
Forgery/Counter/Copyright is a category the Commission assigns from the primary guideline. The guidelines below are the ones the sheet lists as most common.
In this district, §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States) was the primary guideline in 38 cases. §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark) was the primary guideline in 4 cases.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,217 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
A sentence within the range went to 18 people (43%). A sentence below the range without a government request went to 18 (43%), and 6 (14%) were below the range at the government's request. None was above the range (0%).
Nationally, 47% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Kansas, the figure was 42%.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 27 people (64%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 25 (60%), and a fine for 1 (2%).
On criminal history, 19% were in the lowest category, category I, and 17% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
There were 21 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 21 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table lists each year through 2024, and counts are between 1 and 9 people.
With groups this small, the swings in the median, from 5.3 months in fiscal year 2018 to 22.5 months in fiscal year 2016, are not a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 22.5 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 6 | 16.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 5 | 5.3 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 5 | 8 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2020 | 9 | 21 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2021 | 3 | 21 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 1 | 10 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 6 | 22 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2024 | 2 | 18 months | 2 of 2 |
Limits of These Numbers
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not show the amount of money or the number of items in any case. Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and McConnell AFB are in the district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (42). 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 District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, 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.