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# Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-kidnapping-sentences-district-of-colorado/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:09:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:09:54.000Z
- Description: In the District of Colorado, 9 of the 12 people sentenced for kidnapping offenses in fiscal years 2017 to 2025 (75%) received a sentence below the guideline range at the government's request. The median prison term was 33 months (2.8 years), compared with 155 months for all 94 districts. Only 2 sent
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-colorado/) › Kidnapping: District of Colorado

**In brief:** In the District of Colorado, 9 of the 12 people sentenced for kidnapping offenses in fiscal years 2017 to 2025 (75%) received a sentence below the guideline range at the government's request. The median prison term was 33 months (2.8 years), compared with 155 months for all 94 districts. Only 2 sentences (17%) were within the range.

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 12 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](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/).

## Most Sentences Were Below the Range at the Government's Request

Judges calculate a range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines for each case. For the 12 people in this group, 9 sentences (75%) were below that range at the government's request. One sentence (8%) was below the range without such a request, and 2 (17%) were within the range. None was above it (0%).

For all districts, 33% of kidnapping sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Colorado, the figure was 36%.

## A Median Far Below the National Figure

Of the 12 people, 10 (83%) received a prison term, and 2 (17%) received probation only. In all districts, more than 99% were sent to prison.

Among the 10 sent to prison, the median prison term was 33 months. A quarter received 153 months or more, and a quarter received 25.5 months or less. The median for all districts was 155 months, and for all offenses in the District of Colorado it was 36 months.

The spread between the 25.5-month and 153-month marks shows that terms varied widely within a small group. The terms are sentences imposed, not time served.

## One Guideline

"Kidnapping" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's name for an offense type. All 12 people were sentenced under §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint) as the primary guideline.

These cases were less than 1% of the 4,231 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.

## Pleas and the One Trial

A total of 11 of 12 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. For all districts, 84% pleaded guilty. Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement.

The median prison term was 33 months after a guilty plea. The person convicted at trial received 18.7 months. A single case cannot support a comparison between plea and trial outcomes.

## Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History

Restitution was ordered for 11 people (92%), and a fine for 2 (17%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 9 (75%), with a median term of 36 months.

No mandatory minimum prison term applied (0 of 12). In criminal history, 67% were in the lowest category, Category I, and 0% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Few Years With Cases

The district sentenced 4 people in this offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 8 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The table lists 4 years with cases, and 7 of the 12 people were sentenced in 2024.

The yearly medians range from 30 months in 2024 to 225 months in 2017\. These rest on 1 to 7 people each and do not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2017        | 2                | 225 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2018        | 2                | 81.4 months   | 1 of 2         |
| 2024        | 7                | 30 months     | 7 of 7         |
| 2025        | 1                | 156 months    | 1 of 1         |

## Limits of the Data

This data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.

Buckley SFB, Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, and the U.S. Air Force Academy are the installations in this district that appear in the site's court-martial data. Military courts, not this federal court, hear courts-martial. The records do not link any installation to these 12 federal cases.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Colorado (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Colorado") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (12). 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.

## 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)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-colorado/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-colorado/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-colorado/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-colorado/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-colorado/) (same district, other offense type)
- [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.