Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 36 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the "Money Laundering" offense type. Of them, 25 (69%) received a prison term, with a median of 70 months (5.8 years), compared with 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 36 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the "Money Laundering" offense type. Of them, 25 (69%) received a prison term, with a median of 70 months (5.8 years), compared with 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 36 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.
Below the Range at the Government's Request
Against the guideline range, the largest group was sentenced below it at the government's request: 42% (15 people). A further 25% (9 people) were sentenced below it with no request from the government.
Within-range sentences were 31% (11 people), and 3% (1 person) was above the range. The within-range share for money laundering across all 94 districts was 25%, and for all offenses in this district it was 56%.
Prison Terms
Prison was ordered for 25 of 36 people (69%), and probation only for 5 (14%). Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 70 months. A quarter received 102 months or more, and a quarter received 34 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 12,171 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 88% were sent to prison. The median for all offenses in this district was 60 months.
Laundering and Structuring Guidelines
The Commission's "Money Laundering" category is based on the main sentencing guideline. In this district, 30 cases fell under §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments).
Another 6 cases fell under §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements). Money laundering cases were 1% of the 2,953 people sentenced in the district.
Trials Were Part of the Group
Of the 36 people, 30 (83%) pleaded guilty and 6 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. After a trial it was 94.5 months, based on 6 people.
Among the guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all 94 districts, 93% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum applied to 4 of the 36 people (11%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 25 people (69%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 people (8%), and restitution for 22 (61%).
In criminal history, 78% were in the lowest category and 3% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
One Fiscal Year Stands Apart in Count
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 14 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 22 people. Fiscal year 2024 had 11 people, the most of any year, and its median prison term was 24 months.
The remaining years had between 2 and 7 people each. Fiscal year 2020 is not in the table because it had no cases. Medians drawn from so few people say little, and the table is not evidence of a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 51 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2017 | 2 | 164 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 3 | 120 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2019 | 2 | 58 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 102 months | 0 of 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 54.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 2 | 72 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 24 months | 73% |
| 2025 | 4 | 32.3 months | 4 of 4 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
The records do not show the amounts involved or the facts of any case. This post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (36). 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 Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, 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.