Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025
In the District of Nevada, 81 people were sentenced for money laundering in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 61 (75%) received a prison term, 12 (15%) received probation only, and the median prison term was 46 months. In all 94 federal districts, 88% were sent to prison and the median was 40 mon
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 › Money Laundering: District of Nevada
In brief: In the District of Nevada, 81 people were sentenced for money laundering in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 61 (75%) received a prison term, 12 (15%) received probation only, and the median prison term was 46 months. In all 94 federal districts, 88% were sent to prison and the median was 40 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 81 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.
A Smaller Share Went to Prison Here
Prison was less common for money laundering in this district than across all districts. In Nevada, 75% of the 81 people (61) received a prison term, and 15% (12) received probation only. In all districts, 88% were sent to prison.
The median prison term here was 46 months, or 3.8 years, compared with 40 months for all districts. A quarter of those sent to prison received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less.
For all offenses in the District of Nevada, the median prison term was 33 months.
Below-Range Sentences
No sentence was above the guideline range. Of the 81 people, 16 (20%) were within the range, 33 (41%) were below it at the government's request, and 32 (40%) were below it without a government request.
The percentages add to more than 100% because of rounding. In all districts, 25% of sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the share was 33%.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
A total of 77 of 81 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 46 months after a guilty plea. After a trial it was 120.5 months, which rests on 4 people.
Among guilty pleas, 88% had a written plea agreement and 12% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum applied to 18 people (22%).
Which Guidelines Were Used
"Money Laundering" is the offense type the U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns from the primary guideline. For 71 people it was §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments). For 10 it was §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements).
These cases were 2% of the district's 3,640 sentenced people.
After Sentencing
Supervised release was ordered for 58 people (72%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 9 (11%), and restitution for 28 (35%).
On criminal history, 69% were in the lowest category, category I, and 1% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Year by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 42 people sentenced, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 39. Yearly counts range from 3 to 13.
The yearly medians range from 15 months to 240 months. The 240-month median is for a year with 4 people. With groups this small, the records do not support describing a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 10 | 47 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 13 | 33 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 7 | 83 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 12 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 4 | 240 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2021 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 9 | 27 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2023 | 8 | 15 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 60 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2025 | 6 | 42 months | 4 of 6 |
What the Records Cannot Show
Creech AFB and Nellis AFB are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and the data does not connect any installation to these cases.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not show the amounts involved or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nevada (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nevada") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (81). 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 Nevada, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Nevada, 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.