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# Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-forgery-counter-copyright-sentences-eastern-district-of-arkansas/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:06:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:06:09.000Z
- Description: 12 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2023, and all 12 were sentenced under the same counterfeit currency guideline. 10 (83%) received a prison term, with a median of 34.5 months (2.9 years).
- 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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-arkansas/) › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Eastern District of Arkansas

**In brief:** 12 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2023, and all 12 were sentenced under the same counterfeit currency guideline. 10 (83%) received a prison term, with a median of 34.5 months (2.9 years).

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 12 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/).

## A Single Guideline: Counterfeit Currency

The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" is assigned from each case's primary guideline. All 12 people here were sentenced under §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States). None were sentenced under the copyright or trademark guideline.

These cases were less than 1% of the 4,942 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Across all 94 districts, 1,994 people were sentenced for this offense type.

## Median Prison Term Compared With Other Groups

10 of the 12 people (83%) went to prison, and 2 (17%) received probation only. The all-district prison share was 77%.

The median term for the 10 was 34.5 months. The longest quarter received 36.8 months or more, and the shortest quarter received 12.8 months or less. The all-district median was 17.6 months. The median for every offense in this district was 50 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.

## Straight Pleas Were Common

All 12 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and no one was convicted after a trial. For all districts, 98% pleaded guilty.

Among the guilty pleas, 58% had a written plea agreement and 42% were straight pleas with no agreement. No trial data exists for this group, so pleas and trials cannot be compared.

## Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums

7 sentences (58%) were within the guideline range. 3 (25%) were below it without a government request, 1 (8%) was below it at the government's request, and 1 (8%) was above it.

In all districts, 47% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 55%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 12 people.

## Criminal History and Release Terms

Criminal history ratings were weighted toward the high end. 42% of the group were in the highest category, and 8% were in the lowest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

10 people (83%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. No fine or restitution was ordered.

## When the Cases Were Sentenced

2 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 10 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The table has no rows after 2023 and none for 2017 to 2019\. 2022 had the most, with 4 people. The yearly medians run from 12.5 months to 36 months, and counts this small do not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 2                | 12.5 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2020        | 2                | 18.5 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2021        | 3                | 36 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2022        | 4                | 33 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2023        | 1                | n/a           | 1 of 1         |

## Limits of the Records

Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.

Only people who were convicted and sentenced are in the data. Acquittals, dismissals, and the details of each case are not.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (12). 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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-arkansas/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-arkansas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-arkansas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-prison-offenses-sentences-eastern-district-of-arkansas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-arkansas/) (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.