Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025
106 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, and embezzlement in the District of Vermont in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 81% received a prison term, and 15% received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 20 months for this offense type in all 94 districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: District of Vermont
In brief: 106 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, and embezzlement in the District of Vermont in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 81% received a prison term, and 15% received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 20 months for this offense type in all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 106 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 Terms and Probation
86 of the 106 people (81%) received a prison term, and 16 (15%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term among those sent to prison was 12 months. A quarter received 19.5 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less.
For this offense type in all 94 districts, the Commission counts 58,502 people. 73% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 20 months. In Vermont the share sent to prison was higher and the median prison term was lower. The median for all offenses in the district was 18 months.
Below-Range Sentences Without a Government Request
The largest group of sentences, 46% (49 people), was below the guideline range without a government request. 26% (28) were within the range, 25% (27) were below the range at the government's request, and 2% (2) were above the range.
For this offense type in all districts, 45% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 21%. The primary guideline was §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) for 99 people.
Restitution and Other Orders
Restitution was ordered for 78 people (74%). A fine was ordered for 11 (10%). 72 people (68%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 36 months.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 7 of the 106 people (7%). A mandatory minimum is a sentence floor set by statute.
Pleas and Trials
104 of 106 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. More than 99% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 11 months after a guilty plea and 25.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people, so it cannot be treated as typical.
Place in the District's Caseload
The Commission's "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" type was 7% of the 1,619 people sentenced in the district. The data counts only people convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
75% of the group were in criminal history category I, and 3% were in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts and Medians by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 48 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 58. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September. Each year has between 3 and 15 people. Yearly medians range from 0 months in 2023 to 16 months in 2025. With groups this small, the table shows no clear direction, and the records do not show why a year differs from the one before.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 15 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 12 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 11 | 3 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 10 | 11.5 months | 80% |
| 2020 | 11 | 13.6 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 3 | 5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 13 | 4 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12.4 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 15 | 16 months | 100% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data reports terms imposed, not time served. It does not show the amount of money involved, the kind of fraud or theft, or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Vermont (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Vermont") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (106). 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 Vermont, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of Vermont, 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.