> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:36:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:36:02.000Z - Description: Of the 113 people sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 22 (19%) received a sentence within the guideline range, compared with 25% for all 94 federal districts. 85 (75%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-missouri/) › Money Laundering: Eastern District of Missouri **In brief:** Of the 113 people sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Missouri in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 22 (19%) received a sentence within the guideline range, compared with 25% for all 94 federal districts. 85 (75%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 113 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range The guideline range was recorded for all 113 people. Below the range at the government's request were 51 sentences (45%), and below it without a request were 38 (34%). Within it were 22 (19%), and above it were 2 (2%). For all districts, 25% of money laundering sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 42% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 20 of the 113 people (18%). ## Prison Terms and Probation 85 of the 113 people (75%) were sent to prison, and 21 (19%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all districts, 88% were sent to prison. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years). A quarter received 108 months or more, and a quarter received 22 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence. For all districts the median was 40 months, and for all offenses in this district it was 46 months. ## Guilty Pleas and Trials 105 people (93%) pleaded guilty, and 8 were convicted after a trial. For all districts, the rate was also 93%. Among guilty pleas, 100% had a written plea agreement. After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 46 months. After a trial, it was 183 months, based on 8 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The group is small, and the records do not show how the underlying cases differed. ## What Counts as Money Laundering Here "Money Laundering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned from the primary guideline in each case. §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) was used for 107 people. §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements) was used for 6\. These cases were 1% of the 9,425 people sentenced in the district. ## Supervised Release, Fines, Restitution, and Criminal History Supervised release after prison was ordered for 85 people (75%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 14 (12%), and restitution for 22 (19%). In criminal history, 62% were in the lowest category and 4% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Yearly Counts Are Small and Uneven Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 66 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 47\. Yearly counts range from 3 to 27, and yearly medians in the table run from 12 months to 187 months. With counts this small, a few cases can move a yearly median, and the table does not show a trend. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 14 | 38.5 months | 100% | | 2017 | 9 | 37 months | 9 of 9 | | 2018 | 27 | 60 months | 89% | | 2019 | 16 | 12 months | 100% | | 2020 | 7 | 46 months | 7 of 7 | | 2021 | 4 | 94 months | 4 of 4 | | 2022 | 9 | 187 months | 6 of 9 | | 2023 | 3 | 14.8 months | 3 of 3 | | 2024 | 9 | 103.5 months | 9 of 9 | | 2025 | 15 | 49.5 months | 87% | ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (113). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (overview) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-eastern-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.