Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
Of the 1,387 people sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Northern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,079 (78%) received a prison term and 267 (19%) received probation only. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years), compared with 20 months in all 94 federal distri
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016– › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: Northern District of Texas
In brief: Of the 1,387 people sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Northern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,079 (78%) received a prison term and 267 (19%) received probation only. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years), compared with 20 months in all 94 federal districts together.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,387 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, Probation, and the Median
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" offense type made up 10% of the district's 14,591 sentenced people. The median prison term for those sent to prison was 30 months. A quarter received 55.5 months or more, and a quarter received 15 months or less.
Nationally, 58,502 people were in this offense type, 73% were sent to prison, and the median was 20 months. The median for all offenses in this district was 60 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Trials Led to Much Longer Medians
1,336 of 1,387 (96%) pleaded guilty, and 51 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 30 months after a guilty plea and 87 months after a trial.
The records do not show why the medians differ. Among the guilty pleas, 87% had a written plea agreement and 13% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Restitution Was Ordered in Most Cases
Restitution was ordered for 1,085 people (78%), and a fine for 69 (5%). Restitution is money a court orders paid to a victim.
1,064 people (77%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the federal guidelines. 802 sentences (58%) were within it. 255 (18%) were below it at the government's request, 232 (17%) were below it without a request, and 98 (7%) were above it.
Nationally, 45% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. A mandatory minimum applied to 43 people (3%).
The Main Guideline
1,329 people had §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) as the primary guideline. 3 had §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and 2 had §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources).
62% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 9% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
593 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 794 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts range from 110 to 204. Yearly medians range from 27 months to 36 months.
The table does not show a clear trend in the median. The guilty plea rate stays between 92% and more than 99% in every year, so plea rates changed little over the period.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 204 | 30 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 120 | 30 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 124 | 36 months | 96% |
| 2019 | 145 | 35.5 months | 92% |
| 2020 | 117 | 33 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 166 | 27 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 136 | 30 months | 93% |
| 2023 | 151 | 30 months | more than 99% |
| 2024 | 114 | 28 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 110 | 30 months | 96% |
Limits
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Fiscal years run from October through September. The records do not show the amount of money involved in a case, and nothing links Dyess AFB, Goodfellow AFB, or Sheppard AFB to these federal cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (1,387). 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 Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, 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.