Federal National Defense Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025
In the Middle District of Florida, 54 people were sentenced for national defense offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 40 (74%) received a prison term, with a median of 33 months (2.8 years). 10 (19%) received probation only.
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In brief: In the Middle District of Florida, 54 people were sentenced for national defense offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 40 (74%) received a prison term, with a median of 33 months (2.8 years). 10 (19%) received probation only.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 54 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.
Export Violations Were the Largest Group
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "National Defense" offense type includes export and security crimes. The most common primary guideline was §2M5.2 (Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License), for 35 people. Next was §2M5.1 (Evasion of Export Controls), for 9 people.
Smaller groups used §2M5.3 (Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose), 2 people, and §2M3.3 (Transmitting National Defense Information), 2 people.
Prison Terms
40 of the 54 (74%) were sentenced to prison. The median prison term was 33 months. A quarter received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 15 months or less.
Across all 94 districts, 84% were sent to prison and the median was 24 months. The district sent a smaller share to prison, and its median was higher. For all offenses in this district, the median was 57 months.
Position Against the Guideline Range
30% (16 people) were within the guideline range. 33% (18) were below it at the government's request, and 33% (18) were below it without a government request. 4% (2) were above it.
Across all districts, 36% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 47%. A sentence below the range at the government's request means the government asked for a lower sentence.
Pleas and Trials
49 of 54 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 97% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the rate was 95%.
The median prison term was 33 months after a guilty plea and 87 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 1 person, so it cannot be compared in any firm way.
Among guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
38 people (70%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 9 (17%) and restitution for 4 (7%).
No mandatory minimum applied to any of the 54 people (0%). For criminal history, 91% were in the lowest category and 4% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
The district sentenced 22 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 32 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2025 had the most, with 11 people and a median of 19.5 months.
Yearly counts ranged from 1 to 11. The median of 240 months in fiscal year 2022 is for 1 person. These small groups should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 22.5 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2017 | 2 | 21.1 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 4 | 24 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 7 | 28.5 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2020 | 5 | 48 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 6 | 42 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 1 | 240 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 6 | 57 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2024 | 3 | 21 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 11 | 19.5 months | 64% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted. Dismissals and acquittals are not. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
These are federal court numbers. Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "National Defense" (54). 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.
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 Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, 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.