Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025
Of 132 people sentenced for money laundering in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 123 (93%) received a prison term, with a median of 45 months (3.8 years). Only 9 (7%) were sentenced within the guideline range.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2 › Money Laundering: Western District of Washington
In brief: Of 132 people sentenced for money laundering in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 123 (93%) received a prison term, with a median of 45 months (3.8 years). Only 9 (7%) were sentenced within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 132 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.
Sentences Below the Guideline Range Were the Norm
The guideline range is the sentence the Guidelines recommend for a case. In the Sentencing Commission's "Money Laundering" offense type, only 9 of 132 people (7%) were sentenced within it. 99 (75%) were below the range at the government's request. 24 (18%) were below it without a request, and 0 were above it.
Nationally, 25% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For every offense type in this district, the figure is 35%.
Who Went to Prison and for How Long
123 people (93%) received a prison term, and 6 (5%) received probation only. The median prison term was 45 months (3.8 years).
A quarter received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 20 months or less. These are terms imposed, not time served. The national median for this offense type was 40 months, and 88% of people nationally went to prison. Both figures are lower than the district's.
Size of the Group
The national group has 12,171 people. In this district, money laundering was 3% of the 3,992 people sentenced. The median prison term for every offense type here together was 30 months.
Pleas and Trials
127 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. Nationally, guilty pleas were 93% for this offense type. Of the pleas, 98% came with a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 44.5 months after a plea and 48 months after a trial. Those are close, but the trial figure covers only 5 people.
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 56 of the 132 people (42%). This was a large share, and most sentences in the group were still below the guideline range. The data does not show how often a mandatory minimum and a below-range sentence applied to the same person.
Primary Guidelines
Nearly all cases, 123 people, were under §2S1.1 (Laundering of Monetary Instruments). 9 people were under §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements).
After prison, 118 people (89%) were placed on supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 8 (6%), and restitution for 22 (17%).
Criminal History and Yearly Counts
73% were in the lowest criminal history category and 2% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 60 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 72. Yearly counts run from 6 to 23, and yearly medians from 16.1 to 102 months. The records give no reason for the swings.
Bremerton, Washington and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington are in this district, and courts-martial are heard in military courts. People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are not in the federal data.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 6 | 33 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2018 | 23 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 8 | 42 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2020 | 8 | 102 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 7 | 16.1 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 13 | 48 months | 85% |
| 2023 | 17 | 37 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 14 | 34 months | 93% |
| 2025 | 13 | 66 months | 100% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Money Laundering" (132). 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 Washington, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Washington, 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.