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# Federal Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright Sentences in the Western District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-forgery-counter-copyright-sentences-western-district-of-pennsylvania/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:01:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:01:27.000Z
- Description: Restitution was ordered for 19 of the 22 people (86%) sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in the Western District of Pennsylvania in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. Of the 22, 13 (59%) received a prison term, with a median of 18 months, and all 22 pleaded guilty.
- 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 Western District of Pennsylvania, F](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-pennsylvania/) › Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Copyright: Western District of Pennsylvania

**In brief:** Restitution was ordered for 19 of the 22 people (86%) sentenced for forgery, counterfeiting, or copyright offenses in the Western District of Pennsylvania in fiscal years 2016 to 2024\. Of the 22, 13 (59%) received a prison term, with a median of 18 months, and all 22 pleaded guilty.

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 22 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/).

## Restitution and Fines

The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" had 22 people in this district. Restitution was ordered for 19 of them (86%), and a fine was ordered for 2 (9%).

After prison, 13 people (59%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 36 months.

## Prison Terms

Prison was the sentence for 13 of the 22 people (59%). Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 4 (18%).

The median prison term for the 13 was 18 months. The sheet records that a quarter received 30 months or more and a quarter received 1 months or less.

In all 94 districts together, the figures for this offense type are 77% sent to prison and a median prison term of 17.6 months. This district had a lower share sent to prison and a similar median. The median for every offense type in this district together was 48 months.

## Sentences and the Guideline Range

Within the guideline range: 9 people (41%). Below the range without a government request: 7 (32%). Below the range at the government's request: 6 (27%). Above the range: 0.

Nationally, 47% of sentences for this offense type were within the range, which is higher than the share here. The share for all offenses in this district was 38%, which is lower than the share here.

## Pleas and Counterfeit Cases

All 22 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Written plea agreements covered 91% of the guilty pleas, and 9% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 22 people.

§2B5.1 (Offenses Involving Counterfeit Bearer Obligations of the United States) was the primary guideline for 18 people. §2B5.3 (Criminal Infringement of Copyright or Trademark) was the primary guideline for 4.

## Criminal History

In criminal history, 55% were in the lowest category and 14% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

These cases were less than 1% of the 4,460 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.

## Counts by Year and Limits of the Records

Most of the cases are older: 17 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 5 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The table has a row only for fiscal years with cases, and each row has 1 to 5 people. The yearly medians run from 0 months to 33 months, and groups this small do not show a trend.

Anyone acquitted, and any case dismissed, is outside these counts. Prison terms are the terms ordered at sentencing rather than time served, and the records describe no case.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 3                | 24 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2017        | 4                | 30 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2018        | 5                | 0 months      | 5 of 5         |
| 2019        | 5                | 15 months     | 5 of 5         |
| 2021        | 2                | 33 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2022        | 2                | 18 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2024        | 1                | 1 months      | 1 of 1         |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Pennsylvania (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Penn. West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Forgery/Counter/Copyright" (22). 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 Western District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-pennsylvania/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-pennsylvania/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-pennsylvania/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-pennsylvania/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Western District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-western-district-of-pennsylvania/) (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.