> ## 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 Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-forgery-counter-copyright-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:40.000Z
- Description: All 12 people sentenced in the Northern District of West Virginia in the forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright category had the same primary guideline: counterfeit United States currency. 11 of them (92%) received a prison term, with a median of 21 months. In 83% of cases (10 of 12), the sentence w
- 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 Northern District of West Virginia,](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Northern District of West Virginia

**In brief:** All 12 people sentenced in the Northern District of West Virginia in the forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright category had the same primary guideline: counterfeit United States currency. 11 of them (92%) received a prison term, with a median of 21 months. In 83% of cases (10 of 12), the sentence was within the guideline range.

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/).

## One Guideline Covers Every Case

The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" category is assigned from the primary guideline applied at sentencing. Its name suggests several kinds of offense, but in this district all 12 cases used the same one: §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States).

No case in this district used a copyright or other forgery guideline. These 12 cases were less than 1% of the 2,879 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.

## Sentences Within the Guideline Range

Of the 12 people, 10 (83%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 1 (8%) was sentenced below the range at the government's request, and 1 (8%) was sentenced below it without a request. None were sentenced above the range.

Across all 94 federal districts, 47% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 57% were. The share here is higher than both.

## Prison Terms

Of the 12 people, 11 (92%) received a prison term, and 1 (8%) received probation only. Across all districts, 77% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, so a larger share went to prison here.

Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 27 months or more, and a quarter received 8.1 months or less. The national median was 17.6 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 37 months. The median here is higher than the national figure and lower than the district's overall figure.

## Pleas and Mandatory Minimums

All 12 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 98% pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement, and 8% were straight pleas.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 12 people. Since no one went to trial, there is no trial comparison.

## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 11 people (92%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 9 (75%). No fines were ordered.

In the criminal history records, 25% were in the lowest category, category I, and 25% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Year-by-Year Counts

The district sentenced 8 people in this group in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 4 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Yearly counts are 1 to 3 people.

The yearly medians range from 7 months in 2024 to 36 months in 2019\. With 1 to 3 people per year, those figures do not form a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 8 months      | 1 of 1         |
| 2017        | 3                | 22.5 months   | 3 of 3         |
| 2018        | 3                | 30 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2019        | 1                | 36 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2022        | 2                | 8.1 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2024        | 1                | 7 months      | 1 of 1         |
| 2025        | 1                | 21 months     | 1 of 1         |

## What the Records Cannot Show

Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

The records do not give the amount of currency involved, so they cannot show why one person received probation and others received prison terms.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "W Virginia North") 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 Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-prison-offenses-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (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.