Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
Of 26 people sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Arkansas over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 22 (85%) went to prison. Their median term was 64.5 months (5.4 years), while the median for all 94 federal districts was 40 months.
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In brief: Of 26 people sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Arkansas over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 22 (85%) went to prison. Their median term was 64.5 months (5.4 years), while the median for all 94 federal districts was 40 months.
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.
How Long Were the Prison Terms?
The 22 people who went to prison had a median term of 64.5 months. A quarter of them received 131.2 months or more. Another quarter received 26.2 months or less. The 40-month median for all districts is lower than the median here, and the 50-month median for all offenses in this district is also lower.
These figures are the sentences imposed by the court. They are not the time that people actually served.
The other 4 people (15%) received probation only. The share sent to prison across all districts was 88%, out of 12,171 people.
One Guideline, About 26 Cases
The Commission assigns each case an offense type from its primary guideline. Every case in this group used §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments).
In the whole district, 4,942 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Money laundering was less than 1% of them.
Government Requests and Mandatory Minimums
Sentences within the guideline range numbered 11 (42%). Sentences below the range at the government's request numbered 8 (31%), and 7 (27%) were below the range with no such request. The data lists 0 sentences above the range.
Across all districts, 25% of money laundering sentences were within the range, and for every offense type in this district the share was 55%.
A mandatory minimum applied to 8 of the 26 people (31%). The records do not say which sentences below the range were connected to that fact.
Almost All Cases Ended in Guilty Pleas
24 people (92%) pleaded guilty and 2 were convicted at trial. Both groups had median terms in the data: 64.5 months after a plea and 97.5 months after a trial. With only 2 trial cases, the trial figure describes those cases and little more.
Every guilty plea had a written agreement. Nationally, 93% of this offense type pleaded guilty, against 98% of all offenses in this district.
Release Conditions and Prior Record
22 people (85%) were placed on supervised release after prison, with a median of 36 months. Courts ordered restitution for 7 people (27%) and fines for 2 (8%).
In the group, 58% had the least serious criminal history rating, and 15% had the most serious. Military records do not use this rating.
A Look at Each Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 9 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 17. The largest single year was 2025, with 8 people and a median of 120 months. The remaining listed years had 2 or 3 people each, with medians from 18 months to 112.5 months. Totals this small are not a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 84 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 2 | 30.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 97.5 months | 0 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 33 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 3 | 61.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 3 | 18 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 3 | 112.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 8 | 120 months | 8 of 8 |
Where This Data Stops
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, lies inside the district. Service members at the base face courts-martial in military courts, and those cases are not part of this federal count.
Only convictions with a sentence appear here. People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed do not, and the amount of money involved is not recorded.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas East") 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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, 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.