Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025
In the Southern District of Ohio, 44 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 36 (82%) received a prison term, and the median was 17 months, about the same as the 17.6 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2 › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Southern District of Ohio
In brief: In the Southern District of Ohio, 44 people were sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, and copyright offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 36 (82%) received a prison term, and the median was 17 months, about the same as the 17.6 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 44 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.
Counterfeit Currency Was the Main Guideline
"Forgery/Counter/Copyright" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned by the primary guideline in each case. Of the 44 cases here, 42 used §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States). The other 2 used §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark).
These cases were less than 1% of the 5,580 people sentenced in the district.
How Many Went to Prison
A prison term was imposed on 36 of the 44 people (82%), and 5 (11%) received probation only. A quarter of those sent to prison received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 4.6 months or less.
In all districts, 77% of 1,994 people were sent to prison for this offense type. For all offenses in the Southern District of Ohio, the median prison term was 36 months.
All 44 Pleaded Guilty
Everyone in the group pleaded guilty, and no one was convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
In all districts, 98% pleaded guilty. A plea rate of 100% means the data has no trial outcomes to compare. It also cannot show dismissals or acquittals, because it covers only people who were convicted and sentenced.
More Sentences Below the Range Than Within It
The sentence was within the guideline range for 16 people (36%). It was below the range without a government request for 17 (39%) and at the government's request for 11 (25%). 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, 27% were. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 44 people.
Restitution and Supervised Release
Restitution was ordered for 26 people (59%), and a fine for 1 (2%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 36 (82%), with a median term of 36 months.
In criminal history, 16% were in the lowest category and 16% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fewer People in Recent Years
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 27 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 17. The largest year was fiscal year 2016, with 9 people, and the smallest were fiscal years 2021 and 2023, with 1 each. Yearly medians range from 0 months to 33 months. The records cannot show why the counts differ.
Wright-Patterson AFB is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The data reports terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 12 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2017 | 6 | 21 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 6 | 16.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2019 | 6 | 22 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2020 | 6 | 6 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2021 | 1 | 18 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | 18 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 33 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 months | 4 of 4 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Ohio South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (44). 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 Ohio, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, 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.