Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025
68 people were sentenced for money laundering offenses in the District of Nebraska in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 84 months, compared with 40 months for money laundering in all 94 federal districts. 57% were subject to a mandatory minimum.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 › Money Laundering: District of Nebraska
In brief: 68 people were sentenced for money laundering offenses in the District of Nebraska in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 84 months, compared with 40 months for money laundering in all 94 federal districts. 57% were subject to a mandatory minimum.
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.
Median Prison Term Higher Than the Nationwide Figure
Among the 59 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 84 months, or 7 years. A quarter received 164 months or more, and a quarter received 36.5 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.
The median for money laundering in all districts was 40 months, and the median for all offenses in the District of Nebraska was 57 months. Money laundering cases here were higher than both.
A Mandatory Minimum Applied to 57%
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 39 of the 68 people (57%). 59 people (87%) received a prison term, and 8 (12%) received probation only. In all districts, 88% of people in this offense type were sent to prison.
59 people (87%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months.
Sentences Within and Below the Range
28 people (41%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 20 (29%) were below it at the government's request, and 20 (29%) were below it without a government request. 0 were above the range.
In all districts, 25% of money laundering sentences were within the range. In this district, the share within the range was higher than that, and the share for all offenses here was 48%.
Which Guidelines Applied
"Money Laundering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. In this district, 64 cases used §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) and 4 used §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements).
The primary guideline names the money laundering rule that set the starting point. The records do not show what crime produced the money in each case. These cases were 1% of the 4,887 people sentenced in the district.
Plea and Trial Results
64 of the 68 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 78 months after a guilty plea and 200 months after a trial, based on 4 people.
Among those who pleaded guilty, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas. For all offenses in the district, 97% pleaded guilty.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 54 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2017 | 11 | 99 months | 91% |
| 2018 | 14 | 132 months | 86% |
| 2019 | 10 | 103.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 6 | 84 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2021 | 2 | 240 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 2 | 168 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 8 | 72 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 2 | 131 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 32 months | 6 of 6 |
Yearly Numbers Are Small and Uneven
The fiscal year starts October 1 and ends at the close of September. The yearly table shows 2 to 14 people sentenced in each year. The median was 132 months in fiscal year 2018, 240 months in fiscal year 2021, and 32 months in fiscal year 2025.
42 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 26 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Because the yearly groups are this small, the medians do not show a trend.
Fines, Restitution, Criminal History, and Limits
A fine was ordered for 2 people (3%) and restitution for 5 (7%). 62% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 4% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. Offutt AFB, Nebraska, is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nebraska (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nebraska") 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 Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Nebraska, 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.