Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
The Western District of North Carolina sentenced 10 people for kidnapping in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and every one received a prison term. The median was 162 months, or 13.5 years, compared with 155 months for kidnapping in all 94 districts. The group is small, so each person is a large share of
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In brief: The Western District of North Carolina sentenced 10 people for kidnapping in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and every one received a prison term. The median was 162 months, or 13.5 years, compared with 155 months for kidnapping in all 94 districts. The group is small, so each person is a large share of every percentage.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 10 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 for All 10 People
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 10 people sentenced for kidnapping in this district. All 10 (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only.
The median prison term was 162 months. A quarter received 240 months or more, and a quarter received 120.2 months or less.
In all 94 districts, the Commission counted 1,124 people in this offense type, and more than 99% were sent to prison. The median there was 155 months. The median for all offense types in this district was 57 months.
One Guideline
"Kidnapping" is the Commission's offense category, assigned from the primary sentencing guideline. All 10 cases here used §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint). These cases were less than 1% of the 4,904 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Plea and Trial Results
A total of 8 people (80%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts was 84%, and the rate for all offense types in this district was 96%.
The median prison term was 162 months after a guilty plea and 162 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 2 people. Among the guilty pleas, 7 of 8 had a written plea agreement, and 1 of 8 was a straight plea.
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
Sentencing guidelines produce a recommended range for each case. For 5 of the 10 people (50%), the sentence was within that range. Another 2 (20%) were below it at the government's request, and 1 (10%) was below it without a request. A total of 2 (20%) were above the range.
Across all 94 districts, 33% of kidnapping sentences were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 10 people (20%).
Years With Cases
The district sentenced 4 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 6 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table lists 6 fiscal years. Fiscal year 2025 had the most, with 4 people and a median of 180.5 months.
The other years had 1 or 2 people each. The yearly medians range from 120 months to 240 months, and they cannot be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 144 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 192 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 240 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 180 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 180.5 months | 3 of 4 |
Supervised Release and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 10 people (100%), and the median term was 36 months. No fine was ordered. Restitution was ordered for 1 (10%).
In criminal history, 10% were in the lowest category (category I) and 10% were in the highest (category VI). Court-martial records do not have a criminal history field.
What 10 Cases Can and Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are missing, and the terms are those imposed, not time served. The records do not describe any case, so they cannot explain why one term was longer than another.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (10). 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 Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, 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.