> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-forgery-counter-copyright-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:58.000Z - Description: 23 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 18 (78%) received a prison term, and the median was 11 months. For all 94 districts, the median was 17.6 months. - 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Middle District of Alabama **In brief:** 23 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2024\. 18 (78%) received a prison term, and the median was 11 months. For all 94 districts, the median was 17.6 months. 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 23 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/). ## Shorter Prison Terms Than the All-District Median 18 of the 23 people (78%) were sentenced to prison, and 3 (13%) received probation only. The median prison term was 11 months. A quarter received 18 months or more, and a quarter received 8 months or less. For all districts, 77% of people in this offense type went to prison, and the median was 17.6 months. The median here was lower. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months. ## Counterfeit Currency Was the Main Guideline 21 of the 23 people had §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States) as the primary guideline. The other 2 had §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark). These cases were 1% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The data for this offense type in this district ends with fiscal year 2024. ## Position Against the Guideline Range 9 sentences (39%) were within the guideline range. 7 (30%) were below the range at the government's request, and 5 (22%) were below it without a government request. 2 sentences (9%) were above the range. For all districts, 47% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, which is higher than here. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 23 people. ## Pleas All 23 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. The all-district guilty plea rate was 98%, which is about the same as here. The rate for all offenses in this district was 94%. Among the guilty pleas, 83% had a written plea agreement and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History 18 people (78%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 13 people (57%), and no fines were ordered. In criminal history, 22% were in the lowest category, category I, and 26% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Yearly Counts Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 14 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 9 people. The table has no rows for 2019, 2022, 2023, or 2025, and 2021 shows n/a for the median. Yearly counts range from 2 to 7 people, and the medians range from 10 months to 18 months. The records do not show a trend, and they do not explain why the yearly figures differ. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 7 | 14 months | 7 of 7 | | 2017 | 4 | 11 months | 4 of 4 | | 2018 | 3 | 14.5 months | 3 of 3 | | 2020 | 5 | 10 months | 5 of 5 | | 2021 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 | | 2024 | 2 | 18 months | 2 of 2 | ## Maxwell AFB and Limits Maxwell AFB, Alabama, lies within the district and is named in the court-martial records on this site. Those cases are heard in military courts, so they are separate from the federal sentences counted here. The Commission includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Time served may differ from the terms reported, and the data does not describe the facts of any case. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (23). 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) (overview) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (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.