Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
In the District of Maryland, 79% of the 954 people sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, and 13% received probation only. The median prison term was 25 months, compared with 20 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: District of Maryland
In brief: In the District of Maryland, 79% of the 954 people sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, and 13% received probation only. The median prison term was 25 months, compared with 20 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 954 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.
Prison and Probation
Of the 954 people in the "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" offense type, 757 (79%) received a prison term. A total of 126 (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 25 months (2.1 years). A quarter received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
Comparison With All Districts
For this offense type in all 94 districts, 73% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 20 months. In the District of Maryland, both the share sent to prison and the median were higher.
For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 48 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases were 16% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the district. Almost all of them, 889 people, had §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) as the primary guideline.
Guilty Pleas and the Few Trials
A total of 901 of the 954 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 53 were convicted after a trial. The all-district figure was 96%, and the figure for all offenses in this district was 95%.
The median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 66 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 51 people. Among guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
The largest group, 383 people (42%), was sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request. Within the range were 260 (28%), and 251 (27%) were below it without a government request. A total of 24 (3%) were above the range.
For this offense type in all 94 districts, 45% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 31%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 215 of the 917 people with that information recorded (23%).
Restitution, Fines, and Supervised Release
Restitution was ordered for 834 people (87%), and a fine for 53 (6%). After prison, 748 people (78%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 36 months, and 2 people (less than 1%) received supervised release for life.
In criminal history, 71% were in the lowest category and 4% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 484 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 470. The yearly table shows the highest count, 165, in fiscal year 2016 and the lowest, 68, in fiscal year 2023. The median prison term ranged from 18 months in 2020 to 30 months in 2016 and 2023.
Fiscal years begin October 1 and end September 30.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 165 | 30 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 133 | 24 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 95 | 27 months | 93% |
| 2019 | 91 | 26.5 months | 92% |
| 2020 | 77 | 18 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 72 | 24 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 91 | 28 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 68 | 30 months | 93% |
| 2024 | 92 | 24 months | 93% |
| 2025 | 70 | 24 months | 97% |
What Is Not Shown
The data does not show the type of fraud, the amount of loss, or any case facts. It counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and the prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
Fort Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, are in this district. Courts-martial are held in military courts and are not part of these federal numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (954). 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 District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Maryland, 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.