Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
62 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term for the 48 sent to prison was 139.5 months (11.6 years), compared with 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. None of the sentences w
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Money Laundering: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: 62 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term for the 48 sent to prison was 139.5 months (11.6 years), compared with 40 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. None of the sentences was above the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 62 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.
Much Longer Terms Than the All-District Median
48 of the 62 people (77%) received a prison term, and 11 (18%) received probation only. 1 person received a life sentence.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 139.5 months. A quarter received 216.2 months or more, and a quarter received 47.5 months or less. The median for all districts was 40 months, and 88% of people in that group were sent to prison.
The median for all offenses in this district was 71 months, so money laundering cases had a higher median than the district overall. The Commission records the term imposed, not the time served.
Why Counts Matter in the Table
Yearly counts range from 2 to 10 people. The yearly medians in the table range from 80 months in fiscal year 2017 to 216.5 months in fiscal year 2023. With so few people in each year, these medians should not be read as a trend.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 23 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 39.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 135 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2017 | 8 | 80 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2018 | 2 | 115.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 4 | 81 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 3 | 180 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 5 | 135 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2022 | 9 | 210 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2023 | 9 | 216.5 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2024 | 3 | 97 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 10 | 154 months | 90% |
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
21 of the 62 sentences (34%) were within the guideline range. 28 (45%) were below it at the government's request, and 13 (21%) were below it without that request. 0 were above it.
For this offense type in all districts, 25% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 55%.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
60 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 135 months after a guilty plea and 437.5 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 2 people.
83% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 17% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 37 of the 62 people (60%).
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced.
Guidelines and Other Penalties
Money laundering cases were 2% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district. The most common primary guideline was §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments), with 59 people. §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements) applied to 3.
55% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 10% were in the highest, category VI. 48 people (77%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months. A fine was ordered for 35 (56%) and restitution for 14 (23%).
What Is Not Shown
The records do not show the amounts laundered or the underlying crimes. Scott AFB, Illinois, appears in this site's court-martial data, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (62). 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 Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, 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.