Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
Of 52 people sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 34 (65%) received prison and 17 (33%) received probation only. The median prison term was 24.7 months, compared with 40 months across all 94 federal districts.
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In brief: Of 52 people sentenced for money laundering in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 34 (65%) received prison and 17 (33%) received probation only. The median prison term was 24.7 months, compared with 40 months across all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 52 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.
Prison, Probation, and the Median Term
The district sentenced 52 people in this offense type. A total of 34 (65%) received a prison term, and 17 (33%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all districts, 88% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 24.7 months (2.1 years). A quarter received 66.5 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. The all-districts median was 40 months, which is higher than the median here.
The court-imposed term is what these figures report. Actual time served is not in the data.
Very Few Cases in Most Years
The district sentenced 13 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 39 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The federal fiscal year begins October 1 and ends in September.
Counts by year range from 1 to 12. In the 2 years that had only 1 person, the table shows "n/a" for the median. The other medians run from 0 months to 180 months. Numbers that small and that scattered do not establish a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 7 | 15 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 2 | 84 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 3 | 7.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 4 | 180 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 9 | 29.8 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 31.5 months | 75% |
| 2025 | 10 | 35.8 months | 100% |
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
Sentences within the guideline range were 10% (5 people). Below the range at the government's request were 42% (22), and below the range without a government request were 44% (23). Above the range were 4% (2).
For money laundering in all districts together, 25% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 17%.
Pleas and Trials
A total of 49 of 52 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. All guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 19.7 months. After a trial it was 106 months, based on 3 people. A group that small cannot support a general conclusion about trials.
Guidelines and Mandatory Minimums
"Money Laundering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments), with 48 people. Another 4 were sentenced mainly under §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements).
A mandatory minimum applied to 3 of the 52 people (6%). These cases were 2% of the 2,907 people sentenced in the district.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
After prison, 30 people (58%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people (4%), and restitution for 22 (42%).
Criminal history is a federal field only. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. In these cases, 71% were in category I, the lowest, and 4% were in category VI, the highest.
The Commission's data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Dismissals and acquittals are not counted.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (52). 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 Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 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.