Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025
Of the 68 people sentenced for money laundering offenses in the District of Kansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 56% received a sentence below the guideline range at the government's request, and 21% were sentenced within the range. The median prison term was 27 months, and 60% of the group received
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 › Money Laundering: District of Kansas
In brief: Of the 68 people sentenced for money laundering offenses in the District of Kansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 56% received a sentence below the guideline range at the government's request, and 21% were sentenced within the range. The median prison term was 27 months, and 60% of the group received a prison term, compared with 88% across all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 68 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.
Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. In this offense type, 38 of 68 people (56%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request. Another 16 (24%) were below the range without a government request.
Only 14 people (21%) were sentenced within the range, and none was sentenced above it (0%). For all 94 districts together, 25% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Kansas, the figure was 42%.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
A prison term went to 41 of the 68 people (60%). Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 25 (37%).
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years). A quarter received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less.
The national figures for this offense type are higher: 88% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 40 months. The district's median for all offenses was 46 months.
Which Guidelines Were Used?
The Commission's offense type is a category built from the primary guideline in each case. In this district, §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) was the primary guideline in 58 cases.
Next was §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements) with 9 cases, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) with 1.
These cases were 2% of the 4,217 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The national group for this offense type had 12,171 people.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
A total of 65 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 27 months after a guilty plea and 27 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 3 people, so it says little on its own.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 9 of the 68 people (13%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 39 people (57%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (1%), and restitution for 17 (25%).
On criminal history, 78% were in the lowest category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fiscal Year Counts
There were 34 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 34 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table gives each year. Yearly counts are between 3 and 12 people, and the medians swing widely, from 0 months in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 to 216 months in 2020.
With groups this small, one year does not show a trend. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to the following September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 12 | 18 months | 92% |
| 2017 | 10 | 54 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 9 | 18 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2019 | 3 | 66 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2020 | 3 | 216 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 7 | 48 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2024 | 6 | 30.5 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2025 | 4 | 21 months | 4 of 4 |
Limits of These Numbers
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and the prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not show why so many sentences were below the range or what each below-range request was based on. Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and McConnell AFB are in the district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (68). 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 District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, 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.