Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Alabama, 643 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, and embezzlement offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 520 (81%) were ordered to pay restitution. Of the 643, 426 (66%) received a prison term and 148 (23%) received probation only. The median prison term was 21 mo
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY201 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: Northern District of Alabama
In brief: In the Northern District of Alabama, 643 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, and embezzlement offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 520 (81%) were ordered to pay restitution. Of the 643, 426 (66%) received a prison term and 148 (23%) received probation only. The median prison term was 21 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 643 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 Most Cases
Restitution was ordered for 520 of the 643 people (81%). A fine was ordered for 44 (7%).
Restitution means payment to the people or organizations that lost money.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 422 people (66%), with a median term of 36 months.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
A prison term went to 426 of the 643 people (66%). Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 148 (23%).
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 36 months or more, and a quarter received 8 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 58,502 people were sentenced in this category. Of those, 73% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 20 months. The district had a lower share sent to prison and about the same median.
One Guideline Dominates
"Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" is the offense type that the U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns from a case's primary guideline. In this district, 603 of the 643 people were sentenced under §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft).
The category was 14% of the 4,557 people sentenced in the district across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 46 months, which is longer than the median for this category.
The Guideline Range
Each case has a guideline range calculated under the federal guidelines. Of the 640 people with this information, 52% (331) were sentenced within it.
A sentence below the range at the government's request was given to 26% (167), and below the range without a government request to 20% (130). A sentence above the range was given to 2% (12).
Nationally, 45% of sentences in this category were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 56%.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
Of the 643 people, 630 (98%) pleaded guilty and 13 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 20 months. After a trial it was 60 months, based on 13 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records cannot show what differed between those groups of cases.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 78 of the 614 people with that information recorded (13%). On criminal history, 72% were in the lowest category, category I, and 4% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts and Medians by Year
The federal fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The records show 267 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 376 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
The yearly table shows counts from 47 people in 2020 to 76 in 2024. Yearly medians range from 11 months in 2017 to 30 months in 2024.
The records cannot show why a yearly median is higher or lower than another. They include only people who were convicted and sentenced, and the prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 58 | 21 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 73 | 11 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 72 | 21 months | 99% |
| 2019 | 64 | 16.5 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 47 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 68 | 18 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 60 | 19.5 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 54 | 16 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 76 | 30 months | 99% |
| 2025 | 71 | 24 months | 96% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (643). 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 Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, 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.