§2X7.2 Submersible and Semi-Submersible Vessels: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Fiscal year 2024 had 11 people sentenced under guideline §2X7.2, "Submersible and Semi-Submersible Vessels," more than in any other year shown in the yearly table. All 11 pleaded guilty and went to prison, with a median of 38 months. 73% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › §2X7.2 Submersible and Semi-Submersible Vessels › §2X7.2: FY2024
In brief: Fiscal year 2024 had 11 people sentenced under guideline §2X7.2, "Submersible and Semi-Submersible Vessels," more than in any other year shown in the yearly table. All 11 pleaded guilty and went to prison, with a median of 38 months. 73% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 11 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2024. 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.
A Larger Group and a Lower Median
The yearly table for §2X7.2 lists only the years with data: 2016, 2023, and 2024. Fiscal year 2024 has 11 people, and each of the other years has 4 people. All of the people in those years pleaded guilty.
The median prison term in fiscal year 2024 was 38 months, which is 3.2 years. That is lower than the 43.5 months in fiscal year 2016 and the 46 months in fiscal year 2023. It is also lower than the all-years median of 46 months. The table gives no other years to compare, so the lower figure cannot be called a change over time.
Prison Terms for All 11
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 11 people in fiscal year 2024 whose primary guideline was §2X7.2. 11 of the 11 (100%) received a prison term.
A quarter received 63 months or more, and a quarter received 37 months or less. The Commission files these cases under the offense type Other.
For all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under this guideline, 19 people were sentenced, and 100% were sent to prison.
Within the Guideline Range for 8 People
8 sentences (73%) were within the guideline range. 1 (9%) was below the range at the government's request, and 2 (18%) were below it without a government request. None were above the range.
The all-years figure under this guideline is 79%, so fiscal year 2024 was a little lower. For everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2024 under any guideline, the figure was 46%.
Pleas and Mandatory Minimums
11 of the 11 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. Every plea had a written plea agreement.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 11 people. The all-years plea rate under this guideline is 100%, and the rate for all guidelines in fiscal year 2024 was 97%.
Supervised Release and Criminal History
All 11 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 12 months. No fine and no restitution were ordered.
82% were in the lowest criminal history category, Category I, and 0% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 43.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 4 | 46 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 11 | 38 months | 100% |
Context and Limits
For every guideline in fiscal year 2024, 61,678 people were sentenced, and the median prison term was 30 months. The §2X7.2 median was higher. Fiscal year 2024 ran from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.
There is no close court-martial counterpart for this guideline in the approved crosswalk, so this post reports the federal numbers on their own. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. One year with 11 people does not show a trend.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2024 whose primary sentencing guideline was §2X7.2 (11), 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.
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)
- §2X7.2 Submersible and Semi-Submersible Vessels: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range
- Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress
- 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.