Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
Restitution was ordered for 358 of the 397 people (90%) sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Southern District of Indiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 300 people (76%) received a prison term, with a median of 27 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 20 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY201 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: Southern District of Indiana
In brief: Restitution was ordered for 358 of the 397 people (90%) sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Southern District of Indiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 300 people (76%) received a prison term, with a median of 27 months. For all 94 federal districts, the median was 20 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 397 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
358 of 397 people (90%) were ordered to pay restitution. A fine was ordered for 33 people (8%). 297 people (75%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.
The records do not show the dollar amounts of restitution or loss.
Prison Terms
300 of the 397 people (76%) received a prison term, and 62 (16%) received probation only. For all 94 districts, 73% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 27 months. A quarter received 47.2 months or more, and a quarter received 13.6 months or less. The median for all 94 districts was 20 months, so the median here was higher. For all offenses in this district, it was 70 months.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 64 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 66 | 24 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 43 | 26 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 38 | 36 months | 92% |
| 2020 | 27 | 27 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 29 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 33 | 24 months | 85% |
| 2023 | 40 | 27.5 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 30 | 28.5 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 27 | 30 months | 100% |
The Main Guideline
Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. 394 of the 397 people had §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) as the primary guideline. The other 2 people with a listed guideline had §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Guilty Pleas and Trials
386 of 397 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 11 were convicted after a trial. For all 94 districts, 96% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 25 months after a guilty plea and 57 months after a trial, based on 11 people. Among those who pleaded guilty, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
38% of sentences (149 people) were within the advisory guideline range. 35% (137 people) were below the range without a government request, and 26% (105 people) were below it at the government's request. 2% (6 people) were above the range.
The within-range share was 45% for all 94 districts and 43% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 44 of the 397 people (11%).
Criminal History and Yearly Counts
69% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 5% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
These cases were 9% of the 4,205 people sentenced in this district. 211 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 186 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts range from 27 to 66 people. Yearly medians range from 24 months to 36 months, and the table shows no steady direction.
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records do not describe the scheme or the victims in any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (397). 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 Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, 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.