Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
176 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Their median prison term was 72 months, compared with 40 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts. 43% of sentences were within the guideline range, against 25% nation
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In brief: 176 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Their median prison term was 72 months, compared with 40 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts. 43% of sentences were within the guideline range, against 25% nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 176 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.
Longer Prison Terms Than the National Median
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Money Laundering" had 176 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 173 of them (98%) received a prison term, and 2 (1%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 72 months (6 years). A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 38 months or less. Across all districts, 12,171 people were in this category, 88% were sent to prison, and the median term was 40 months.
All offenses in the Eastern District of Kentucky had a median prison term of 70 months, so money laundering here is about the same as the district's overall median.
Guilty Pleas and Trial Sentences
146 of 176 people (83%) pleaded guilty, and 30 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate was 93% for money laundering in all districts and 93% for all offenses in this district.
The median prison term was 63 months after a guilty plea and 110 months after a trial. The trial figure covers 30 people who were convicted and sent to prison. Among those who pleaded guilty, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% entered a straight plea.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 43 of the 176 people (24%).
75 people (43%) were sentenced within the advisory guideline range. 49 (28%) were below it at the government's request, and 52 (30%) were below it without a government request. None were above it. For all offenses in this district, 54% of sentences were within the range.
Guidelines Applied
The primary guideline was §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) for 171 people. §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements) was the primary guideline for 4.
These cases were 4% of the 4,374 people sentenced in the district over the period.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
152 people (86%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 36 months, and 1 person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 21 (12%), and restitution for 68 (39%).
76% were in the lowest criminal history category, Category I, and 5% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
55 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 121 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. In the yearly table the count ranges from 10 to 33 people.
The median prison term ranges from 36 months in 2016 to 107 months in 2019. With groups of 10 to 33 people, one year's median can move a great deal, and the table does not show a single direction.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 | 36 months | 77% |
| 2017 | 14 | 83.5 months | 57% |
| 2018 | 10 | 55.5 months | 80% |
| 2019 | 18 | 107 months | 78% |
| 2020 | 16 | 89.5 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 28 | 48 months | 86% |
| 2022 | 16 | 58 months | 94% |
| 2023 | 33 | 79 months | 82% |
| 2024 | 15 | 80 months | 80% |
| 2025 | 13 | 40 months | 92% |
What Is Not in the Records
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and the data does not give the amount of money laundered in any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (176). 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 Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, 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.