Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
17 people were sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 14 (82%) received a prison term, with a median of 16.5 months. All 17 cases had the same primary guideline, which covers counterfeit U.S. bearer obligations.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY201 › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Western District of Arkansas
In brief: 17 people were sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 14 (82%) received a prison term, with a median of 16.5 months. All 17 cases had the same primary guideline, which covers counterfeit U.S. bearer obligations.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 17 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.
One Guideline Covered Every Case
The Commission's "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" category could include copyright cases, but in this district all 17 people had the same primary guideline: §2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States).
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,185 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The data for this offense type in this district ends with fiscal year 2023.
Prison Terms and Probation
14 of the 17 people (82%) received a prison term, and 1 (6%) received probation only. The median prison term was 16.5 months. A quarter received 27 months or more, and a quarter received 7 months or less.
For all 94 districts, 77% of people in this offense type went to prison, and the median was 17.6 months. The median here was lower than the all-district median.
For all offenses in this district, the median was 72 months.
Guideline Range
The sentence was within the guideline range for 11 people (65%). It was below the range without a government request for 5 people (29%), and at the government's request for 1 person (6%). No sentence was above the range.
For all districts, 47% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, so within-range sentences were more common here.
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 17 people.
Pleas
All 17 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. The all-district guilty plea rate was 98%, and the rate for all offenses in this district was also 98%.
No one was convicted after a trial, so the records give no trial comparison for this offense type in this district. They also give no straight pleas without an agreement, which were 0% of the guilty pleas.
Supervised Release, Fines, Restitution, and Criminal History
15 people (88%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 5 people (29%), and restitution for 12 people (71%).
In criminal history, 29% were in the lowest category, category I, and 18% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 11 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 6 people. The table has no rows for 2019, 2021, 2024, or 2025.
Yearly counts range from 1 to 6 people. The medians range from 0 months to 30 months. Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 9.9 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 6 | 18 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 4 | 16.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 3 | 21 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 2 | 30 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Do Not Show
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted, so acquittals and dismissals are not included. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
The data does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (17). 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 Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, 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.