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# §2G1.3 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2g1-3-promoting-a-commercial-sex-act-or-prohibited-fy2017/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:23:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:23:59.000Z
- Description: In fiscal year 2017, the median prison term under §2G1.3 was 240 months after a trial and 120 months after a guilty plea. Of the 403 people sentenced, 364 (90%) pleaded guilty and 39 were convicted after a trial.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [§2G1.3 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual C](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2g1-3-promoting-a-commercial-sex-act-or-prohibited/) › §2G1.3: FY2017

**In brief:** In fiscal year 2017, the median prison term under §2G1.3 was 240 months after a trial and 120 months after a guilty plea. Of the 403 people sentenced, 364 (90%) pleaded guilty and 39 were convicted after a trial.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 403 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2017\. 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Trial and Plea Medians in Fiscal Year 2017

364 of the 403 people sentenced under §2G1.3 (90%) pleaded guilty. 39 were convicted after a trial. In all federal cases that year, 97% of people pleaded guilty.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 120 months. After a trial, it was 240 months, based on 39 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. Those are different sets of cases. The records do not show the evidence or plea offers behind each case, so the gap has no stated cause here. Among guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 9% did not.

## Almost Everyone Went to Prison

399 of the 403 people (more than 99%) received a prison term. No one (0%) received probation only. 6 people received a life sentence.

Among all those sent to prison, the median was 120 months, which is 10 years. A quarter received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 80.5 months or less. For the 66,873 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2017 under all guidelines, the median prison term was 24 months. Terms are those imposed and not time served.

## Mandatory Minimums and Guideline Ranges

276 of the 402 people with mandatory minimum information recorded (69%) had a mandatory minimum prison term.

On guideline range, 44% (178) were sentenced within it. 30% (120) were below it at the government's request, and 21% (86) were below it without a government request. 5% (19) were above it. Across all federal cases that year, 49% of sentences were within the range, so within-range sentences were less common under this guideline.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution

397 people (99%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 66 months, and 60 people (15%) received supervised release for life. 22 people (5%) were fined, and 73 (18%) were ordered to pay restitution.

## Guideline Title and Offense Type

§2G1.3 is titled "Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor" in the Guidelines Manual. The offense type used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission is Sexual Abuse. The fiscal year ran from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017.

49% of the people were in criminal history category I and 7% were in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. The approved crosswalk pairs this guideline with Article 120b of the UCMJ, and the comparison posts address that pairing. The numbers here are federal only.

## Neighboring Years and the Whole Period

Fiscal year 2016 had 418 people under this guideline, a median prison term of 120 months, and 41% within the range. Fiscal year 2018 had 408 people, a median of 120 months, and 46% within the range.

For fiscal years 2016 to 2025 together, 3,908 people were sentenced. More than 99% went to prison, the median prison term was 120 months, 88% pleaded guilty, and 46% were within the range. The table lists each year. These records include only people convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are missing.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 418              | 120 months    | 86%            |
| 2017        | 403              | 120 months    | 90%            |
| 2018        | 408              | 120 months    | 89%            |
| 2019        | 375              | 120 months    | 88%            |
| 2020        | 305              | 120 months    | 88%            |
| 2021        | 336              | 120 months    | 88%            |
| 2022        | 475              | 120 months    | 86%            |
| 2023        | 415              | 120 months    | 84%            |
| 2024        | 406              | 121 months    | 86%            |
| 2025        | 367              | 121 months    | 91%            |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2017 whose primary sentencing guideline was §2G1.3 (403), U.S. Sentencing Commission individual data files. The primary guideline is the one that set the offense level for the most serious count.

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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [§2G1.3 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2g1-3-promoting-a-commercial-sex-act-or-prohibited/) (overview)
- [§2G1.3 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2g1-3-promoting-a-commercial-sex-act-or-prohibited-fy2018/) (previous or next fiscal year)
- [§2G1.3 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2g1-3-promoting-a-commercial-sex-act-or-prohibited-fy2016/) (previous or next fiscal year)
- [How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sentences-outside-guideline-range/)
- [Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-mandatory-minimum-sentences/)
- [Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Army?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-sent-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Often Are Contested Army Article 120b Cases Acquitted?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-acq-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Pleading Guilty to Article 120b in the Army: What Sentences Followed?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-plea-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Has Article 120b Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-trend-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Air Force?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-sent-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Guilty Pleas in Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-plea-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-sent-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-plea-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 120b UCMJ: Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.