Federal National Defense Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025
Of the 19 people sentenced under the Commission's "National Defense" offense type in the District of Kansas, 17 (89%) received probation only, and 2 (11%) received a prison term. Across all 94 federal districts, 84% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The 2 Kansas prison terms had a
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 › National Defense Offense: District of Kansas
In brief: Of the 19 people sentenced under the Commission's "National Defense" offense type in the District of Kansas, 17 (89%) received probation only, and 2 (11%) received a prison term. Across all 94 federal districts, 84% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The 2 Kansas prison terms had a median of 206 months (17.2 years).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 19 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.
Nearly All Sentences Were Probation Only
The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 19 people sentenced in the District of Kansas under its "National Defense" offense type. The sheet's opening count covers fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and the district totals cover fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 17 of them (89%).
A prison term went to 2 (11%). In all 94 districts together, 2,236 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 84% were sent to prison. Prison was much less common in Kansas for this offense type than in the country as a whole.
Prison Terms for 2 People
The median prison term among those sent to prison was 206 months. A quarter received 283 months or more, and a quarter received 129 months or less.
Those figures describe just 2 people, so they should not be read as a typical Kansas term for this offense type. The national median for the offense type was 24 months, and the median for all offenses in the district was 46 months.
One person (5%) received supervised release for life. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2 people (11%), with a median term of 36 months.
Fines Were More Common Than Prison
A fine was ordered for 16 people (84%), and restitution for 2 (11%). The number of fines is larger than the number of prison terms, which fits the large share of probation-only sentences.
Among the guilty pleas, 11% had a written plea agreement and 89% were straight pleas with no agreement. Straight pleas were the larger group here.
Pleas, Mandatory Minimums, and the Guideline Range
All 19 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Nationally, 97% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty, and for all offenses in the district the figure was 97%.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 5 people with that information recorded. The guideline range position was recorded for only 3 people: 1 was within the range, 2 were below the range at the government's request, and none was above it or below it without a request.
For all districts, 36% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 42%. Criminal history was recorded for 2 people, 1 in category I and 1 in category VI.
Which Guidelines Applied?
National Defense is the Commission's category, assigned from the primary guideline. The sheet lists 2 guidelines, each with 1 case: §2M5.2 (Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License), and §2M6.1 (Unlawful Activity Involving Nuclear Material, Weapons, or Facilities, Biological Agents, Toxins, or Delivery Systems, Chemical Weapons, or Other Weapons of Mass Destruction).
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,217 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Counts by Year and What Is Missing
There were 5 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 14 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table gives each year in the sheet, with 1 to 6 people per year. Only fiscal year 2017 shows a median.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not included. The records do not show what any case involved. Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and McConnell AFB are in the district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 206 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 6 | n/a | 6 of 6 |
| 2025 | 6 | n/a | 6 of 6 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "National Defense" (19). 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 District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, 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.