> ## 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.

# Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-district-of-delaware/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:18.000Z
- Description: In the District of Delaware, 22 people were sentenced for money laundering offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 22 received a prison term. The median was 24 months, compared with 40 months for money laundering cases in all 94 districts. 77% pleaded guilty, which is lower than the 93% rate
- 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 Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/) › Money Laundering: District of Delaware

**In brief:** In the District of Delaware, 22 people were sentenced for money laundering offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 22 received a prison term. The median was 24 months, compared with 40 months for money laundering cases in all 94 districts. 77% pleaded guilty, which is lower than the 93% rate for money laundering in all districts.

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 22 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/).

## Shorter Median Prison Terms Than in All Districts

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 22 people in the District of Delaware whose offense type was "Money Laundering" in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced.

All 22 (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 24 months, or 2 years. A quarter received 59.2 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.

In all 94 districts, 12,171 people were sentenced for money laundering. 88% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 40 months. Delaware's median is lower, and the share sent to prison is higher.

## Trials Were Common Compared With Other Delaware Cases

17 of the 22 people (77%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate was 93% for money laundering in all districts and 96% for all offenses in Delaware. Money laundering cases in Delaware therefore went to trial more often than both of those groups.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 18 months. After a trial it was 108 months, based on 5 people. The trial group is small, and the records cannot show whether the difference comes from the plea, the facts of the cases, or the charges.

Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement.

## Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums

Only 23% of sentences (5 people) were within the guideline range. 36% (8 people) were below the range at the government's request, and 41% (9 people) were below it without a government request. None were above the range.

The all-districts figure for sentences within the range was 25%, about the same as Delaware's. For all offenses in the district, it was 44%.

A mandatory minimum applied to 1 person (5%).

## Guidelines Used

The Commission's category is its own grouping. Within it, §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) was the primary guideline for 21 of the 22 people. §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements) applied to 1.

Money laundering cases were 2% of the 925 people sentenced in the district. The median prison term for all offenses in the district was 27 months, so the money laundering median is lower.

## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History

21 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 19 people (86%), and a fine for 1 (5%).

86% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 18 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2017        | 3                | 18 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2018        | 1                | 9.9 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2019        | 1                | 60 months     | 0 of 1         |
| 2022        | 2                | 33.5 months   | 1 of 2         |
| 2023        | 2                | 289 months    | 0 of 2         |
| 2024        | 7                | 24 months     | 6 of 7         |
| 2025        | 5                | 18 months     | 5 of 5         |

## Small Yearly Counts and What Is Missing

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 6 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 16\. The table shows 7 people in 2024 and 1 or 2 in several other years, so yearly medians such as 289 months in 2023 rest on very few sentences and are not trends.

Dover AFB, Delaware is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, so these numbers are reported on their own.

The records do not show how much money was involved, what the underlying crime was, or why any sentence was chosen. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Delaware (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Delaware") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (22). 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](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 Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (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.