Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
From fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025, 552 people were sentenced in the Western District of North Carolina for fraud, theft, or embezzlement. Of those, 429 (78%) received a prison term, with a median of 28 months, and 74 (13%) received probation only. The median for this offense type in all
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In brief: From fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025, 552 people were sentenced in the Western District of North Carolina for fraud, theft, or embezzlement. Of those, 429 (78%) received a prison term, with a median of 28 months, and 74 (13%) received probation only. The median for this offense type in all 94 districts was 20 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 552 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 Restitution
This offense type has a wider range of outcomes than most categories in the district. Of the 552 people, 429 (78%) received a prison term and 74 (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 28 months, or 2.3 years. A quarter received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 15 months or less.
Restitution was ordered for 458 people (83%). A fine was ordered for 23 (4%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 415 (75%), and the median term was 24 months.
How This District Compares With All 94 Districts
In all 94 districts, the Commission counted 58,502 people in this offense type. Of those, 73% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 20 months. Here, 78% were sent to prison, and the median was higher.
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases were 11% of the 4,904 people sentenced in this district. The district's median for all offense types was 57 months, which is higher than the median for this offense type.
The Commission's "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" category is based on the primary guideline. Here, §2B1.1 (Larceny, Embezzlement, and Other Forms of Theft) was used in 532 cases. 2 cases used §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources), and 1 used §2B1.4 (Insider Trading).
Criminal History
A large share was in the lowest criminal history category. In criminal history, 66% were in the lowest category (category I), and 4% were in the highest (category VI).
The criminal history category is a federal measure of prior convictions. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this comparison is not available for military cases.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
A total of 532 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 20 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 90% had a written plea agreement and 10% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term was 27 months after a guilty plea. It was 72 months after a trial, based on the 20 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records do not show how the cases differed, so these medians cannot show the effect of the choice to go to trial.
The Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Of the 552 people, 278 (50%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 152 (28%) were below the range at the government's request, and 107 (19%) were below it without a government request. A total of 15 (3%) were above the range.
For all districts in this offense type, 45% were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 66 people (12%).
Year-by-Year Counts
The district sentenced 291 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 261 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The median prison term was 28 months in fiscal year 2016 and 40.5 months in fiscal year 2025.
The yearly counts range from 30 to 86 people. The table shows each year's median and plea rate.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 86 | 28 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 62 | 27 months | 95% |
| 2018 | 71 | 30 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 72 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 46 | 24 months | 91% |
| 2021 | 36 | 30 months | 92% |
| 2022 | 58 | 29 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 36 | 36 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 30 | 27.5 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 55 | 40.5 months | 96% |
What the Data Does Not Cover
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The data does not show the dollar amount of any loss or the type of scheme, so the sentences cannot be compared by the size of the offense.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement" (552). 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 North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, 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.