Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Iowa, 261 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 20 months for all 94 federal districts. Of the 261, 89% received a prison term, and 9% received probation only.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: Northern District of Iowa
In brief: In the Northern District of Iowa, 261 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 20 months for all 94 federal districts. Of the 261, 89% received a prison term, and 9% received probation only.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 261 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 Versus Probation
Of the 261 people, 231 (89%) received a prison term, and 24 (9%) received probation only. In all districts, 73% of the 58,502 people in this offense type were sent to prison.
The Iowa group was therefore sent to prison more often than the all-district group. The median for those sent to prison was 12 months. A quarter received 28 months or more, and a quarter received 3.7 months or less.
Comparing the Median With Other Groups
The all-district median for fraud, theft, and embezzlement was 20 months. For all offense types in the Northern District of Iowa, the median was 60 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases were 8% of the 3,479 people sentenced in the district over the period.
"Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Restitution and Fines
Restitution was ordered for 188 of the 261 people (72%). Restitution is money a court orders paid back to a victim. A fine was ordered for 29 (11%).
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 231 people (89%), with a median term of 36 months.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
A total of 63% (164) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 14% (36) were below the range at the government's request, and 18% (47) were below it without a government request. 5% (14) were above the range.
In all districts, 45% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offense types in this district, the figure was 53%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 30 of the 261 people (11%).
Nearly All Pleaded Guilty
A total of 259 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. After a trial it was 14.5 months, but that figure rests on only 2 people and should not be read as a pattern.
Among guilty pleas, 88% had a written plea agreement, and 12% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Which Guidelines and Which Years
The primary guideline was §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) for 257 people. One person each had §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
The group has 129 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 132 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. In the yearly table, the median prison term was 21 months in 2018, 3.8 months in 2019, and 24 months in 2025. Yearly counts are small, from 14 to 43 people, so single years should be read with care. The records do not show why the medians differ.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 29 | 13 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 43 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 28 | 21 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 29 | 3.8 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 29 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 21 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 16 | 14.7 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 14 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 29 | 7 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 23 | 24 months | 100% |
Criminal History and What the Records Leave Out
In criminal history, 69% were in the lowest category I and 3% were in the highest category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this post reports federal numbers on their own.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not show the amount of money involved or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Iowa (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Iowa North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (261). 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 Iowa, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Northern District of Iowa, 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.