Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Illinois, 31 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 27 (87%) received a prison term, with a median of 14 months. The all-district median was 17.6 months. Most of these cases fall in fiscal years 201
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY20 › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Northern District of Illinois
In brief: In the Northern District of Illinois, 31 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 27 (87%) received a prison term, with a median of 14 months. The all-district median was 17.6 months. Most of these cases fall in fiscal years 2016 to 2019.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 31 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.
Most Cases Were in Fiscal Years 2016 to 2019
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 25 of the 31 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 6.
The table includes only the years that have cases. Fiscal year 2017 has the most, with 12 people. Fiscal years 2020 and 2025 have 3 people each.
Yearly medians run from 11.5 months in fiscal year 2018 to 66 months in fiscal year 2025. The groups are too small for the table to show a trend. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 12 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 12 | 16 months | 92% |
| 2018 | 8 | 11.5 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2020 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 66 months | 3 of 3 |
Prison Terms and Probation
The median prison term among the 27 people sent to prison was 14 months. A quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 6.5 months or less.
The all-district median was 17.6 months, which is higher. The median for all offenses in this district was 42 months. Probation only went to 3 people (10%).
In all districts, 77% of people sentenced for this offense type were sent to prison. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 31 people (0%).
Counterfeit Currency and Copyright Guidelines
"Forgery/Counter/Copyright" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States), used for 28 people.
Another 2 people were sentenced under §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark). These cases were less than 1% of the 6,211 people sentenced in the district.
Within and Below the Guideline Range
Within the range were 12 sentences (39%). Below the range without a request from the government were 14 (45%), and below it at the government's request were 5 (16%). None was above the range.
In all districts, 47% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 29%.
Guilty Pleas
Of the 31 people, 30 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The all-district plea rate was 98%, and for all offenses in this district it was 93%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 14.5 months. The 1 person convicted at trial received 4 months. One case cannot support a comparison.
Among the guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 25 people (81%), with a median term of 24 months. Restitution was ordered for 18 (58%), and no fine was ordered (0%).
In criminal history, 42% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 6% were in the highest (Category VI).
Installation Note and Data Limits
The military installation at Great Lakes, Illinois, is in this district. Military courts hear courts-martial, so those cases are outside this federal court.
Acquittals and dismissals are missing because the data lists only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not describe the items forged or counterfeited. The terms shown were imposed by the court and may differ from time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (31). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, 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.