Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025
From fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the District of Rhode Island sentenced 242 people for fraud, theft, or embezzlement, which was 24% of all 1,015 people it sentenced. 83% received a prison term, with a median of 24 months, compared with 20 months across all 94 districts. Restitution was ordered for 20
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–20 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: District of Rhode Island
In brief: From fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the District of Rhode Island sentenced 242 people for fraud, theft, or embezzlement, which was 24% of all 1,015 people it sentenced. 83% received a prison term, with a median of 24 months, compared with 20 months across all 94 districts. Restitution was ordered for 202 people (83%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 242 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.
Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement as a Share of the District's Cases
The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" as an offense type. In the District of Rhode Island, it covered 242 of 1,015 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The district sentenced 62 of them in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 180 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Almost every person in this group had the same primary guideline, §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft), used for 240 people.
Who Went to Prison and for How Long
201 of the 242 people (83%) received a prison term, and 35 (14%) received probation only. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 36 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less.
Across all districts, 73% of 58,502 people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median was 20 months. For all offenses in the District of Rhode Island, the median was 33 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Restitution and Supervised Release
Restitution is an order to repay money lost by victims. It was ordered for 202 people (83%), and a fine for 13 (5%).
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 190 people (79%), with a median term of 36 months.
Below the Guideline Range More Often Than Within It
Of 242 people, 66 (27%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 105 (43%) were below it without a government request, 70 (29%) were below it at the government's request, and 1 was above it, which is less than 1%.
Across all districts, 45% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 22%. A mandatory minimum applied to 53 people (22%).
Pleas and Trials
Of the 242 people, 240 (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 6 months after a trial, based on 2 people, so the trial figure should not be read as a pattern.
Among the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% did not. In criminal history, 70% were in the lowest category I and 5% were in the highest category, VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Medians by Fiscal Year
The count was 11 in fiscal year 2018 and 38 in fiscal year 2022. The median prison term was 36 months in fiscal year 2018 and 7.4 months in fiscal year 2024.
Yearly medians move with the mix of cases in a year. The records do not show what drove any change. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 15 | 9 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 18 | 27 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 11 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 18 | 21 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 26 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 18 | 31.5 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 38 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 36 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 27 | 7.4 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 35 | 24 months | 94% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data does not show the amount of money involved or why a court chose probation instead of prison.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Rhode Island (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Rhode Island") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (242). 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 Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, 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.