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# Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-eastern-district-of-virginia/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:33:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:33:32.000Z
- Description: 169 people were sentenced for the Commission's offense type "Money Laundering" in the Eastern District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 37% of sentences were within the
- 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 Virginia, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-virginia/) › Money Laundering: Eastern District of Virginia

**In brief:** 169 people were sentenced for the Commission's offense type "Money Laundering" in the Eastern District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 37% of sentences were within the guideline range here, and 25% were within it across all districts.

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 169 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/).

## Prison Terms Compared With All Districts

155 of the 169 people (92%) received a prison term, and 8 (5%) received probation only. The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 106.5 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.

In all districts, 12,171 people were sentenced for this offense type, 88% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 40 months. The median here is higher. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months. Terms are those imposed, not time served.

## Guideline Range Results

The guideline range is the sentencing range the court works out for each case. 62 sentences (37%) were within it. 30 (18%) were below the range at the government's request, and 70 (41%) were below it without a government request. 7 (4%) were above it.

Across all districts, 25% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 60%.

## Laundering and Structuring Guidelines

The offense type is a Commission category. §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments) was the primary guideline for 155 people. §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements) was the primary guideline for 10.

These cases were 2% of the 10,381 people sentenced in the district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 20 of the 168 people with that information recorded (12%).

## Trial Convictions and Pleas

150 people (89%) pleaded guilty, and 19 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 93% pleaded guilty.

The median prison term was 57 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial, based on 18 people sentenced to prison after trial. Among the guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

76 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 93 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. A fiscal year starts October 1 and ends the next September.

Yearly counts are small, from 7 to 22 people. Fiscal year 2024 had 7 people and a median of 24 months. Medians in other years range from 30 months to 88 months, so single years should not be read as trends.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 22               | 63 months     | 100%           |
| 2017        | 18               | 61.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2018        | 21               | 71 months     | 90%            |
| 2019        | 15               | 30 months     | 93%            |
| 2020        | 12               | 88 months     | 67%            |
| 2021        | 19               | 84 months     | 84%            |
| 2022        | 17               | 78 months     | 76%            |
| 2023        | 18               | 32.5 months   | 89%            |
| 2024        | 7                | 24 months     | 6 of 7         |
| 2025        | 20               | 60 months     | 90%            |

## Restitution, Supervised Release, and What Is Missing

Restitution was ordered for 88 people (52%), and a fine for 8 (5%). 154 people (91%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.

Criminal history category I, the lowest, applied to 76% of the people, and category VI, the highest, applied to 3%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

Fort Lee, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Norfolk are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts. The federal data excludes acquittals and dismissals and describes no individual case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Virginia East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (169). 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 Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-virginia/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-sentences-eastern-district-of-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-virginia/) (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.