Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
421 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 85% received a prison term, and the median was 30 months. The median prison term for these cases in all 94 districts was 40 months.
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In brief: 421 people were sentenced for money laundering in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 85% received a prison term, and the median was 30 months. The median prison term for these cases in all 94 districts was 40 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 421 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.
Money Laundering Cases in This District
The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses the offense type "Money Laundering" for these cases. The district is the Western District of Texas, which the Commission's data calls "Texas West". The period is fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
The 421 people were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district in those years. In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 210 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 211 people were sentenced.
Which Guidelines Applied
The primary guidelines listed are §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments), with 258 people, and §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements), with 162 people.
A primary guideline is the one that set the offense level for the most serious count of conviction.
Prison Terms in This District and in All Districts
356 of the 421 people (85%) received a prison term, and 49 (12%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years). A quarter received 70 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less. 6 people received a life sentence.
In all 94 districts, 12,171 people were sentenced for money laundering. 88% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 40 months. Both figures were lower in this district.
Across all offense types in this district the median was 10 months.
Trials Compared With Guilty Pleas
401 of 421 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 20 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 27 months. After a trial it was 186 months, based on 20 people sent to prison.
Among guilty pleas, 82% had a written plea agreement and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement. The guilty plea rate across all 94 districts was 93%, which is lower than the 95% here.
Below-Range Sentences Were Common
For all 421 people, 45% (191) were within the guideline range. 34% (145) were below the range at the government's request, and 16% (69) were below it without a government request. 4% (16) were above the range.
In all 94 districts, 25% of money laundering sentences were within the range. Across all offense types here, it was 77%.
A mandatory minimum applied to 54 of the 421 people (13%).
The Years Side by Side
The yearly table lists the number sentenced, the median prison term, and the guilty plea rate. The median prison term was 51 months in fiscal year 2020 and 17 months in fiscal year 2024. The yearly counts range from 28 to 70 people, so a single-year median can change with a few cases.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 67 | 28 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 70 | 38.5 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 44 | 39 months | 93% |
| 2019 | 29 | 18 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 31 | 51 months | 94% |
| 2021 | 28 | 24 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 37 | 31.5 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 47 | 18 months | 96% |
| 2024 | 33 | 17 months | 91% |
| 2025 | 35 | 24 months | 91% |
Other Terms and What Is Not Shown
349 people (83%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 95 (23%), and restitution for 59 (14%). 83% were in the lowest criminal history category.
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Military bases in the district are not part of these figures. Courts-martial are tried in military courts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (421). 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 Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, 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.