Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
Of the 417 people sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Western District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 229 (55%) received a prison term and 168 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 21 months, about the same as the 20 months for this offense type in all 9
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY201 › Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement: Western District of Kentucky
In brief: Of the 417 people sentenced for fraud, theft, or embezzlement in the Western District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 229 (55%) received a prison term and 168 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 21 months, about the same as the 20 months for this offense type in all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 417 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 and Probation Were Both Common
This offense type, called "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, is different from most others in the district because many people did not go to prison. Of the 417 people, 229 (55%) were sent to prison and 168 (40%) received probation only.
In all districts together, 58,502 people were sentenced for this offense type, and 73% were sent to prison. The share here is lower. Across all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 57 months, so the 21-month median for these cases is much shorter.
The Length of Prison Terms
Among the 229 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 33 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
Mandatory minimums applied to 28 of the 402 people with that information recorded (7%).
Fewer People Sentenced in Recent Years
The district sentenced 246 people for these offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 171 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly table shows the count falling from 74 in fiscal year 2018 to 19 in fiscal year 2022, with 41 in fiscal year 2023 and 30 in fiscal year 2025.
The medians in the table range from 12 months to 24 months. Because some years have fewer than 30 people, a single year should not be read as a trend. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 61 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 55 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 74 | 21 months | 99% |
| 2019 | 56 | 19 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 36 | 22.5 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 21 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 19 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 41 | 15 months | 93% |
| 2024 | 24 | 18 months | 96% |
| 2025 | 30 | 23.5 months | 100% |
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
Of the 417 people, 411 (99%) pleaded guilty and 6 were convicted after a trial. Across the district, 97% of people pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 21 months after a guilty plea and 31.5 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 6 people. Among the guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range and Departures
Within the guideline range were 213 sentences (51%). Below the range at the government's request were 106 (25%), and below it without such a request were 92 (22%). 6 sentences (1%) were above the range.
For all districts, 45% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. Across all offenses in this district, the figure was 37%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
A total of 223 people (53%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 142 people (34%) and restitution for 279 (67%).
Restitution is a court-ordered payment to victims. Criminal history was low for most: 75% were in the lowest category and 4% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Guidelines and What the Records Leave Out
The primary guideline for 319 of the people was §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft). One person was sentenced under §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources). These cases are 13% of the 3,229 people sentenced in the district.
Fort Knox, Kentucky is in the district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The Commission data covers only people convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (417). 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 Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, 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.