Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025
Probation only was the most common result for fraud, theft, and embezzlement in the District of Puerto Rico. Of the 730 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 433 (59%) received probation only and 268 (37%) received prison. The median prison term was 15 months, compared with 20 months in all
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–202 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: District of Puerto Rico
In brief: Probation only was the most common result for fraud, theft, and embezzlement in the District of Puerto Rico. Of the 730 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 433 (59%) received probation only and 268 (37%) received prison. The median prison term was 15 months, compared with 20 months in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 730 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.
Probation Was More Common Than Prison
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type is "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement." In this district, 433 of 730 people (59%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Another 268 (37%) were sentenced to prison.
In all districts, 73% of 58,502 people were sent to prison, so this district used prison less often. The records do not show why.
These cases were 7% of the 9,794 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Terms for Those Who Received Them
Among the 268 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 15 months. A quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 4 months or less.
The median for all districts was 20 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 60 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
A guilty plea was entered by 707 of 730 people (97%), and 23 were convicted after a trial. The national share was 96%, and the share for all offenses in this district was 98%.
The median prison term was 15 months after a guilty plea and 15 months after a trial, based on 19 people sent to prison after trial. The medians for the groups were the same.
Of the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Of the 729 people with the information, 404 (55%) were within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 224 (31%), and below it without a government request were 87 (12%). Above the range were 14 (2%).
For all districts, 45% of these cases were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 54%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 78 of the 728 people with that information recorded (11%).
The Theft and Fraud Guideline
The primary guideline for 672 people was §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft). Under §2B6.1 (Altering or Removing Motor Vehicle Identification Numbers, or Trafficking in Motor Vehicles or Parts with Altered or Obliterated Identification Numbers), 2 people were sentenced, and 1 under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Restitution was ordered for 521 people (71%), and a fine for 55 (8%). Supervised release was ordered for 255 (35%), with a median term of 36 months.
Criminal History
Criminal history was low for nearly all of these people: 92% were in category I, the lowest, and less than 1% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 270 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 460 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.
Yearly counts range from 28 in 2020 to 137 in 2025. Yearly medians range from 4.5 months to 24 months. The table does not show why the counts or medians changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 97 | 4.5 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 56 | 17 months | 91% |
| 2018 | 48 | 9 months | 90% |
| 2019 | 69 | 24 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 28 | 10 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 64 | 18 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 68 | 9 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 60 | 24 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 103 | 20 months | more than 99% |
| 2025 | 137 | 18 months | 99% |
What the Records Leave Out
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, and the amount of money involved in each case is not described.
Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this district court, and these figures describe federal cases only.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Puerto Rico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (730). 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 Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, 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.