Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
In the District of Maryland, 113 people were sentenced for money laundering in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 86% received a prison term. The median prison term was 33 months, lower than the 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. Only 15% were sentenced within the guideline ran
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 › Money Laundering: District of Maryland
In brief: In the District of Maryland, 113 people were sentenced for money laundering in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 86% received a prison term. The median prison term was 33 months, lower than the 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. Only 15% were sentenced within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 113 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.
Few Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Of the 113 people, 17 (15%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 47 (42%), and below it without a government request were 49 (43%). None was above the range.
For money laundering in all 94 districts, 25% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Maryland, the figure was 31%. The Maryland money laundering share was lower than both.
Prison Terms
A total of 97 people (86%) received a prison term, and 9 (8%) received probation only. The median prison term was 33 months (2.8 years). A quarter received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 88% of money laundering cases led to prison and the median was 40 months. The median for all offenses in this district was 48 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 23 of the 112 people with that information recorded (21%).
Guidelines in the Category
"Money Laundering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, set by primary guideline. The most common was §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments), with 105 people. Next was §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements), with 4.
The guideline §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) had 1. These cases were 2% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the district.
Trials Compared With Pleas
Of the 113 people, 95 (84%) pleaded guilty, and 18 were convicted after a trial. For money laundering in all 94 districts, 93% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, it was 95%.
The median prison term was 28 months after a guilty plea and 64.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 16 people. Among guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement and 3% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Restitution and Supervised Release
Restitution was ordered for 57 people (50%), and a fine for 5 (4%). After prison, 94 people (83%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months.
In criminal history, 83% were in the lowest category and 0% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
More People Early in the Period
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 66 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 47. The table shows 30 people in fiscal year 2016 and 3 in fiscal year 2020. The share pleading guilty was 50% in fiscal year 2017 and 100% in fiscal year 2024.
Most years have fewer than 15 people, so the medians do not show a trend. Each fiscal year starts in October and ends the following September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 30 | 24 months | 90% |
| 2017 | 16 | 48 months | 50% |
| 2018 | 7 | 42 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 13 | 48 months | 85% |
| 2020 | 3 | 25 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 7 | 18 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2022 | 7 | 20 months | 5 of 7 |
| 2023 | 7 | 22 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 28 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 13 | 42 months | 85% |
Limits of the Records
Anyone not convicted and sentenced is missing from this data, and the terms shown are those imposed, not time served. The records do not say how much money was involved.
Fort Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, are in this district. Courts-martial are held in military courts and not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (113). 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 Maryland, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, 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.