Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025
Of the 241 people sentenced for money laundering in the Middle District of Florida in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, only 24% were within the guideline range. 207 (86%) received a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016– › Money Laundering: Middle District of Florida
In brief: Of the 241 people sentenced for money laundering in the Middle District of Florida in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, only 24% were within the guideline range. 207 (86%) received a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 241 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.
Few Sentences Within the Guideline Range
For all 241 people, 24% (57) were sentenced within the guideline range. 38% (91) were below the range without a government request, and 37% (89) were below it at the government's request. 2% (4) were above it.
Across all 94 districts, 25% were within the range, which is about the same. For all offenses in this district, the share was 47%.
Prison Terms and Probation
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Money Laundering" type was 2% of the 13,145 people sentenced in this district. 207 of the 241 (86%) were sentenced to prison, and 17 (7%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.
Across all districts, 12,171 people were sentenced, 88% went to prison, and the median was 40 months. The district's median was higher. For all offenses in this district, the median was 57 months.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
203 of 241 people (84%) pleaded guilty, and 38 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 93% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the rate was 95%.
The median prison term was 46 months after a guilty plea and 96 months after a trial, based on 37 people sent to prison. Among guilty pleas, 90% had a written plea agreement and 10% were straight pleas.
Guidelines Used
The main guideline was §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments), for 217 people. Then came §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements), for 23 people, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), for 1 person.
A mandatory minimum applied to 47 of the 241 people (20%).
Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
204 people (85%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 15 (6%) and restitution for 122 (51%).
For criminal history, 73% were in the lowest category and 1% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Medians Over the Years
The district sentenced 89 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 152 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts ranged from 15 to 41.
The yearly median was 71 months in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 and 96 months in fiscal year 2025, which were the highest in the table. It was 27 months in fiscal year 2017. Each year has a small group, and the records cannot show what changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 26 | 49.5 months | 69% |
| 2017 | 30 | 27 months | 90% |
| 2018 | 18 | 40 months | 78% |
| 2019 | 15 | 43 months | 73% |
| 2020 | 16 | 30 months | 94% |
| 2021 | 19 | 50 months | 89% |
| 2022 | 22 | 47 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 28 | 71 months | 75% |
| 2024 | 26 | 71 months | 81% |
| 2025 | 41 | 96 months | 93% |
Limits of the Records
Only people convicted and sentenced appear in the data. Dismissals and acquittals do not. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (241). 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 Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, 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.