Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of Missouri, 17 people were sentenced for kidnapping in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 16 (94%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 161.5 months (13.5 years), compared with 155 months for kidnapping in all 94 federal districts. Sentences below the guideline ran
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201 › Kidnapping: Eastern District of Missouri
In brief: In the Eastern District of Missouri, 17 people were sentenced for kidnapping in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 16 (94%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 161.5 months (13.5 years), compared with 155 months for kidnapping in all 94 federal districts. Sentences below the guideline range at the government's request were 65% (11).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 17 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 Terms of 161.5 Months at the Median
Among the 16 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 161.5 months. A quarter received 240 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. One person (6%) received probation only.
For all 94 districts together, the median for kidnapping was 155 months, which is about the same as the median here. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months, which is lower.
Nationwide, more than 99% of people sentenced for kidnapping were sent to prison. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Government Requests for Lower Sentences
The guideline range is the range the Commission's guidelines calculate for each case. In this district, 65% of the kidnapping sentences (11) were below the range at the government's request.
Within the range were 18% (3), below the range without a government request were 12% (2), and above the range was 6% (1).
Across all districts, 33% of kidnapping sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 42%. The records do not show what prompted any request.
One Guideline Covers Every Case
"Kidnapping" is the Commission's own offense type. All 17 people were sentenced under §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint) as the primary guideline.
These cases were less than 1% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
A total of 16 of 17 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. Nationwide, 84% of people sentenced for kidnapping pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 99%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 168 months. The one trial conviction carried 120 months. A single case cannot be compared with the group of pleas.
A mandatory minimum applied to 2 of the 17 people (12%). All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
Supervised Release, Fines, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 16 people (94%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people (12%), and restitution for 9 people (53%).
In criminal history, 35% were in the lowest category and 18% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
From fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 11 people were sentenced. From fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 6 were sentenced. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
The table lists only years with sentenced people. No year had more than 6 people, so the yearly medians cover few cases and cannot show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 420 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | 210 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 6 | 140.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2023 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | 120 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2025 | 3 | 144 months | 3 of 3 |
Limits of the Data
The data counts only convicted and sentenced people. It does not include acquittals or dismissals, and it does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (17). 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 Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, 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.