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# Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-southern-district-of-california/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:08:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:08:37.000Z
- Description: 776 people were sentenced for money laundering offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 717 (92%) received a prison term, with a median of 15 months. In all 94 districts, the median for this offense type was 40 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 Southern District of California, FY](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-california/) › Money Laundering: Southern District of California

**In brief:** 776 people were sentenced for money laundering offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 717 (92%) received a prison term, with a median of 15 months. In all 94 districts, the median for this offense type was 40 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 776 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/).

## Guidelines Behind Most Cases

"Money Laundering" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense category, based on the main guideline in each case. 381 cases used §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements), and 352 used §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments).

These cases were 2% of the 32,099 people sentenced in the district in these years. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear, because the data covers only convictions.

## Prison Terms

717 of the 776 people (92%) received a prison term, and 39 (5%) received probation only. In all districts, 88% were sent to prison.

The median prison term was 15 months. A quarter received 36 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. The median for all offenses in this district was 15 months, which is the same figure.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 117 of the 770 people with that information (15%). Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

Each case has a guideline range under the Commission's rules. In this group, 424 sentences (55%) were below it at the government's request, and 87 (11%) were below it without a government request.

198 sentences (26%) were within the range, and 66 (9%) were above it. For money laundering cases in all districts, 25% of sentences were within the range. That is higher than the 15% within the range for all offenses in this district.

## Pleas

772 of the 776 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 93% pleaded guilty.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 15 months. After a trial it was 114 months, based on 4 people. That is too few cases to say how trials compare with pleas.

## Supervised Release and Other Terms

668 people (86%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 40 people (5%), and restitution for 39 (5%).

81% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 2% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Growth in Later Years

217 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 559 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The table gives the count for each year, from 35 in 2018 to 119 in 2024.

The medians range from 12 months to 22.5 months. The records cannot show why the counts changed.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 57               | 18 months     | 98%            |
| 2017        | 43               | 22.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2018        | 35               | 12 months     | 100%           |
| 2019        | 82               | 13 months     | 100%           |
| 2020        | 64               | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 87               | 15 months     | 99%            |
| 2022        | 102              | 15 months     | 100%           |
| 2023        | 88               | 17 months     | 100%           |
| 2024        | 119              | 13.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2025        | 99               | 13.7 months   | 99%            |

## What Is Not Known

The records do not describe the amounts or methods in any case, so they cannot explain the differences between sentences. The court-martial data lists Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and San Diego in this district. Those courts-martial are held in military courts and are outside this federal data.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (776). 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 Southern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-california/) (overview)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-california/) (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.