Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
1,147 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 767 (67%) received a prison term, and 313 (27%) received probation only. Restitution was ordered for 1,013 people (88%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: Eastern District of Missouri
In brief: 1,147 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 767 (67%) received a prison term, and 313 (27%) received probation only. Restitution was ordered for 1,013 people (88%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,147 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.
Restitution Was Ordered in 88% of Cases
Restitution, which is payment to a victim, was ordered for 1,013 of the 1,147 people (88%). A fine was ordered for 80 (7%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 764 people (67%), with a median term of 36 months.
A fine is paid to the government, while restitution compensates a victim, so they are counted separately. The records here do not give the dollar amounts of either. Restitution was ordered more often than a fine in this group.
Prison or Probation
Of the 1,147 people, 767 (67%) were sent to prison. Another 313 (27%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all 94 districts, 73% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 18 months. A quarter received 35.5 months or more, and a quarter received 10 months or less. For all districts, the median was 20 months. For all offenses in this district, it was 46 months.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
1,125 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 22 were convicted after a trial. For all districts, 96% pleaded guilty. Among guilty pleas, more than 99% had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 18 months after a guilty plea and 30.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 20 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
The range was recorded for all 1,147 people. Within it were 528 sentences (46%). Below it at the government's request were 250 (22%), and below it without a request were 349 (30%). Above it were 20 (2%).
For all districts, 45% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district, 42% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 139 people (12%).
Which Guidelines Apply
"Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline in each case. §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) was used for 1,110 people.
Other guidelines were used for 2 people each: §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)), §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources), and §2B6.1, which covers altered motor vehicle identification numbers. These cases were 12% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district.
Criminal History, Yearly Counts, and Limits
In criminal history, 61% were in the lowest category and 7% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 592 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 555. Yearly medians in the table run from 14.1 months to 24 months. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records cannot show why yearly figures differ.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 160 | 24 months | 99% |
| 2017 | 145 | 18 months | 99% |
| 2018 | 150 | 18 months | more than 99% |
| 2019 | 137 | 16 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 82 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 65 | 20.5 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 75 | 18 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 104 | 22 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 88 | 14.1 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 141 | 24 months | more than 99% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (1,147). 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 Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, 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.