Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
In the Western District of Arkansas, 207 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 130 of them (63%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months. Across all 94 federal districts, 73% of people in this offense type went to prison, and t
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In brief: In the Western District of Arkansas, 207 people were sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 130 of them (63%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months. Across all 94 federal districts, 73% of people in this offense type went to prison, and the median was 20 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 207 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.
Who Went to Prison and for How Long
Of the 207 people sentenced, 130 (63%) received a prison term, and 42 (20%) received probation only. Probation only means no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 24 months, or 2 years. A quarter received 35.5 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less. These are the terms imposed, not the time actually served.
For all 94 districts together, the share sent to prison was 73%, which is higher than in this district. The all-district median prison term was 20 months, which is lower than the 24 months here.
Nearly Everyone Pleaded Guilty
204 of the 207 people (99%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, more than 99% had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 24 months. After a trial it was 36 months, but that figure rests on only 3 people, so it says little on its own.
The all-district guilty plea rate for this offense type was 96%, so the rate here was higher.
How Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
The sentence was within the guideline range for 113 people (55%). It was below the range at the government's request for 29 people (14%), and below the range without a government request for 51 people (25%). It was above the range for 14 people (7%).
For all districts, 45% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. Within-range sentences were more common in this district.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 19 of the 203 people with that information recorded (9%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
126 people (61%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median supervised release term was 36 months.
A fine was ordered for 23 people (11%). Restitution, which is money paid to victims, was ordered for 182 people (88%).
In criminal history, 64% were in the lowest category, category I, and 9% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that comparison cannot be made.
Where These Cases Fit in the District
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases were 9% of the 2,185 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The Commission sorts every case into one offense type, and this one is its "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" category.
The most common primary guidelines were §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft), with 196 people, and §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources), with 8 people.
For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 72 months, which is much higher than the 24 months for this offense type. Guilty pleas were 98% across all offenses.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 90 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 117 people. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
The table shows yearly counts of 14 to 30 people. These counts are small, and the yearly medians moved between 12 months and 30 months, so no single year should be read as a pattern.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 30 | 22.5 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 26 | 24 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 19 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 15 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 24 | 30 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 24 | 27 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 23 | 16 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 16 | 30 months | 88% |
| 2024 | 16 | 21.2 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 14 | 24 months | 100% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Sentencing Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
The records also do not show the facts of any case, the amount of money involved, or the reasons for a sentence. This post reports federal numbers on their own and does not compare them with court-martial results.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (207). 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 Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, 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.