Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
The median prison term for forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright offenses in the Southern District of Indiana was 30 months (2.5 years). 14 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2024, and 11 of them (79%) received a prison term. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 17.6 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY201 › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Southern District of Indiana
In brief: The median prison term for forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright offenses in the Southern District of Indiana was 30 months (2.5 years). 14 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2024, and 11 of them (79%) received a prison term. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 17.6 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 14 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.
A Higher Median Than the National Figure
Among the 11 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 30 months. A quarter received 34.5 months or more, and a quarter received 16.5 months or less. The median for all 94 districts was 17.6 months, so the median in this district was higher.
For all offenses in the Southern District of Indiana, the median was 70 months. With 11 people sent to prison, these figures can change with a few cases.
Counterfeiting Was the Main Guideline
Forgery/Counter/Copyright is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. 13 of the 14 people had §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States) as the primary guideline. The other person had §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark).
Under this guideline, the cases concern counterfeit bearer obligations of the United States. Only 1 of the 14 people had a copyright or trademark guideline.
Probation and Prison
11 of 14 people (79%) received a prison term, 2 (14%) received probation only, and the sheet lists no outcome for the remaining person. For all 94 districts, 77% were sent to prison.
The table shows one fiscal year, 2019, with a median prison term of 0 months, based on 1 person. Yearly counts range from 1 to 5 people, and medians range from 0 to 60 months. Counts this small show no trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 57 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 33 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 5 | 7 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | 30 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 1 | 27 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
50% of sentences (7 people) were within the advisory guideline range. 36% (5 people) were below the range without a government request, and 7% (1 person) were below it at the government's request. 7% (1 person) were above the range.
The within-range share was 47% across all 94 districts and 43% across all offenses here. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 14 people (7%).
All Guilty Pleas
All 14 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. The rate was 98% for all 94 districts. All of those who pleaded guilty had a written plea agreement (100%).
Supervision, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison applied to 11 people (79%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 7 people (50%), and restitution for 9 (64%).
On criminal history, 29% fell in category I, the lowest, and 21% fell in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records do not include this field. 9 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 5 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
What the Records Cannot Show
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,205 people sentenced in this district. Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, so acquittals and dismissals are absent. Listed prison terms are sentences, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (14). 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 Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, 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.