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# Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-northern-district-of-georgia/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:02:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:02:57.000Z
- Description: 251 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Northern District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 230 (92%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months, compared with 40 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. 20 people were convicted after a trial.
- 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 Northern District of Georgia, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-georgia/) › Money Laundering: Northern District of Georgia

**In brief:** 251 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Northern District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 230 (92%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months, compared with 40 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. 20 people were convicted after a trial.

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 251 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/).

## Trials Were More Common Than in the District Overall

231 of the 251 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 20 were convicted after a trial. Across all 94 districts, 93% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. For all offenses in the Northern District of Georgia, the figure was 96%.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 46 months. After a trial it was 91.5 months, based on 20 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The groups are different, so the figures do not show the effect of a trial.

Among the guilty pleas, 94% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas.

## Which Guidelines Applied?

"Money Laundering" is an offense type set by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. The most common primary guideline was §2S1.1, Laundering of Monetary Instruments, with 233 people. Next was §2S1.3, Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements, with 15.

These cases were 5% of the 5,362 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 81 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 170 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.

## Prison Terms

230 people (92%) received a prison term, and 11 (4%) 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 48 months (4 years). A quarter received 97 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less. The all-district median was 40 months, which is lower. The median for all offenses in this district was 41 months.

## Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums

249 people had a guideline range recorded. 29% (72) were sentenced within the range. 48% (119) were below it at the government's request, and 22% (56) were below it without a government request. Less than 1% (2) were above it.

Across all districts, 25% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, so sentences within the range were more common here. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 64 of the 249 people with that information recorded (26%).

## Supervised Release and Money Orders

219 people (87%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 36 months, and 1 person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life.

Restitution was ordered for 136 people (54%), and a fine for 13 (5%). 77% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 4% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Year by Year

The yearly count was highest in fiscal year 2023, with 52 people, and lowest in fiscal year 2020, with 11\. The median prison term was 91.5 months in fiscal year 2017, 30 months in fiscal year 2020, and 70 months in fiscal year 2022.

Years with 11 to 25 people give medians that move easily with a few cases. The table does not support reading a trend, and the share who pleaded guilty ranged from 71% to 100%.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 23               | 51.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2017        | 12               | 91.5 months   | 83%            |
| 2018        | 25               | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2019        | 21               | 64 months     | 100%           |
| 2020        | 11               | 30 months     | 100%           |
| 2021        | 25               | 47.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2022        | 24               | 70 months     | 71%            |
| 2023        | 52               | 37 months     | 96%            |
| 2024        | 33               | 54 months     | 82%            |
| 2025        | 25               | 46 months     | 92%            |

## What This Cannot Tell Readers

Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission data, because it counts only people convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

The sheet counts each person once under a single primary guideline, so the underlying conduct and any other charges are not visible.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (251). 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 Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-georgia/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-georgia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-georgia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-georgia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-georgia/) (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.