> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # §2K1.3 Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2k1-3-unlawful-receipt-possession-or-transportation-of-explosive-fy2018/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:57:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:57:14.000Z - Description: In fiscal year 2018, 17 people were sentenced under §2K1.3, and the median prison term was 33 months, the highest median in the 10-year table. Of the 17, 11 (65%) received prison and 5 (29%) received probation only. In this group, 18% were in the highest criminal history category. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [§2K1.3 Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Ex](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2k1-3-unlawful-receipt-possession-or-transportation-of-explosive/) › §2K1.3: FY2018 **In brief:** In fiscal year 2018, 17 people were sentenced under §2K1.3, and the median prison term was 33 months, the highest median in the 10-year table. Of the 17, 11 (65%) received prison and 5 (29%) received probation only. In this group, 18% were in the highest criminal history category. 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 17 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2018\. 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/). ## The Highest Median Prison Term in the Series The median prison term for the 11 people sent to prison was 33 months, or 2.8 years. A quarter received 39 months or more, and a quarter received 22.5 months or less. Among all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under §2K1.3, the median was 18 months. The year before, fiscal year 2017, had a median of 18 months, and the year after, fiscal year 2019, had 18 months. Fiscal year 2018 was higher than both. A group of 11 people sent to prison is small, so a few long sentences can move a median a great deal. The median is the middle value of the terms, so it is less affected by a single very long term than an average would be. The records do not show what any of those sentences were based on. ## Who Is in the Group The 17 people are everyone sentenced between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 whose most serious count was scored under §2K1.3\. The full title is "Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials; Prohibited Transactions Involving Explosive Materials." The Commission files these cases under firearms. Of the 17, 11 (65%) went to prison. 5 people (29%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. ## Criminal History and Mandatory Minimums In this group, 29% were in the lowest criminal history category I, and 18% were in the highest VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 17 people (6%). ## Pleas All 17 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. Of the guilty pleas, 94% had a written plea agreement, and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## The Guideline Range and Release Terms 7 sentences (41%) were within the guideline range. 4 people (24%) were below the range at the government's request, and 5 (29%) were below it without a request. One sentence (6%) was above the range. Fiscal year 2017 had 43% within the range, and fiscal year 2019 had 19%. For all guidelines in fiscal year 2018, 51% were within the range. Supervised release was ordered for 10 people (59%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (6%), and restitution for 3 (18%). | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 20 | 30 months | 95% | | 2017 | 30 | 18 months | 100% | | 2018 | 17 | 33 months | 100% | | 2019 | 27 | 18 months | 100% | | 2020 | 19 | 18 months | 100% | | 2021 | 17 | 20.5 months | 100% | | 2022 | 6 | 24.5 months | 6 of 6 | | 2023 | 20 | 16.5 months | 100% | | 2024 | 14 | 18 months | 100% | | 2025 | 15 | 6.2 months | 100% | ## Reading the Table With Care The table shows each year's count, median, and plea rate. In fiscal year 2018, all 69,425 people sentenced under any guideline had a median prison term of 24 months. The records cannot explain why the 2018 median was highest. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced, and terms are those imposed, not served. The approved crosswalk has no close court-martial counterpart for this guideline, so this post stays with the federal numbers. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2018 whose primary sentencing guideline was §2K1.3 (17), 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) - [§2K1.3 Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2k1-3-unlawful-receipt-possession-or-transportation-of-explosive/) (overview) - [§2K1.3 Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2k1-3-unlawful-receipt-possession-or-transportation-of-explosive-fy2017/) (previous or next fiscal year) - [§2K1.3 Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Explosive Materials: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2k1-3-unlawful-receipt-possession-or-transportation-of-explosive-fy2019/) (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/) - [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.