Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025
26 people were sentenced for money laundering in the District of Vermont in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 88% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 48 months, or 4 years. None of the 26 sentences was within the guideline range.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 › Money Laundering: District of Vermont
In brief: 26 people were sentenced for money laundering in the District of Vermont in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 88% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 48 months, or 4 years. None of the 26 sentences was within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 26 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.
No Sentence Within the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the recommended sentence calculated under the federal sentencing guidelines. In this offense type in Vermont, 0% of sentences (0 people) were within it. 81% (21) were below the range at the government's request, and 19% (5) were below the range without a government request. None was above the range.
For money laundering in all 94 districts, 25% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the Vermont district, the figure was 21%.
Prison Terms
23 of the 26 people (88%) received a prison term, and 2 (8%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 48 months. A quarter received 71 months or more, and a quarter received 22 months or less.
The Commission counts 12,171 people in this offense type across all districts. 88% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 40 months. Vermont's median was higher than 40 months and higher than the 18 months for all offenses in the district.
Pleas and Trials
25 of 26 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. For this offense type in all districts, 93% pleaded guilty. Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 45 months after a guilty plea. The one person convicted at trial and sent to prison had a prison term of 110 months. A single case cannot be compared with 25 others.
Guideline, Mandatory Minimums, and Release
All 26 people had §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) as the primary guideline. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 26 (15%).
22 people (85%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (4%), and restitution for 8 (31%). Money laundering cases were 2% of the 1,619 people sentenced in the district.
Criminal History
62% of the group were in criminal history category I, and 15% were in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 5 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 21. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September. The largest yearly count is 9 people in 2025, and several years have 1 to 3 people. Yearly medians range from 26 months in 2023 to 144 months in 2024. The table omits years with no cases. Groups this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 70 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 91 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 30 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 3 | 79 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 3 | 60 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 4 | 26 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 2 | 144 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 9 | 27 months | 9 of 9 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people convicted and sentenced and reports terms imposed, not time served. It does not show the amount of money, the underlying offense, or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Vermont (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Vermont") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (26). 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 Vermont, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Vermont, 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.