Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 32 people were sentenced in the Southern District of New York under the Commission's offense type "Forgery/Counter/Copyright". 25 (78%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months. Only 9% of the sentences were within the guideline range, which is lower than for
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY20 › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Southern District of New York
In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 32 people were sentenced in the Southern District of New York under the Commission's offense type "Forgery/Counter/Copyright". 25 (78%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months. Only 9% of the sentences were within the guideline range, which is lower than for this offense type in all districts (47%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 32 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.
Sentences Were Seldom Within the Guideline Range
The court calculates a guideline range for each case, and the Commission records how the sentence compared with it. Here, 9% of sentences (3) were within the range, and 3% (1) were above it.
Most sentences were below the range. 22% (7) were below it at the government's request, and 66% (21) were below it without a government request.
Across all districts, 47% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 22%. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 32 people.
Prison Terms and Probation
25 of the 32 people (78%) were sentenced to prison, and 6 (19%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 18 months or more, and a quarter received 4 months or less.
In all districts together, 1,994 people were sentenced for this offense type, 77% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 17.6 months. The district's median is lower. For all offenses in this district, the median was 33 months.
One Trial Conviction
31 of 32 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 12 months after a guilty plea and 12 months after the trial. A group of 1 cannot show how trial sentences compare with plea sentences.
In all districts, 98% of people with this offense type pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas here, 74% had a written plea agreement, and 26% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Copyright and Counterfeit Guidelines
The offense type is the Commission's grouping. §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark) was the primary guideline for 24 people. §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States) was the primary guideline for 8 people.
The cases were less than 1% of the 12,035 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Yearly Counts
19 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 13 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table has no rows for fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
Fiscal year 2017 had the most people, with 10. The yearly medians range from 0 months to 24 months and rest on groups of 1 to 10 people, so they do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 8 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 10 | 12 months | 90% |
| 2018 | 6 | 16.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2019 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 6 | 9 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 6 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2025 | 2 | 24 months | 2 of 2 |
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Gaps in the Data
Restitution was ordered for 18 people (56%), and a fine for 3 (9%). 23 people (72%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.
Criminal history category I, the lowest, applied to 84% of the people, and category VI, the highest, applied to 0%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are not in this data. The figures are also terms imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (32). 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 Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of New York, 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.