Federal National Defense Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
Of the 19 people sentenced for national defense offenses in the Northern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 3 (16%) received a sentence within the guideline range. The median prison term was 53 months, compared with 24 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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In brief: Of the 19 people sentenced for national defense offenses in the Northern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 3 (16%) received a sentence within the guideline range. The median prison term was 53 months, compared with 24 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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.
Sentences Seldom Matched the Guideline Range
Among the 19 people with the information recorded, 3 (16%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 7 (37%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request, and 9 (47%) were sentenced below it without a government request. None was sentenced above the range.
For this offense type across all 94 federal districts, 36% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the Northern District of Illinois, the figure was 29%. The share within the range here was lower than the first figure and also lower than the second.
What Counts as a National Defense Offense?
"National Defense" is a category used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. It groups cases by their primary sentencing guideline. The most common was §2M5.3 (Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose), with 9 people.
Next was §2M5.2 (Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License), with 8 people. One person each had §2M5.1 (Evasion of Export Controls) and §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
These cases were less than 1% of the 6,211 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison Terms
Of the 19 people, 18 (95%) received a prison term, and 1 (5%) received probation only. The median prison term among those sent to prison was 53 months (4.4 years). A quarter received 157.5 months or more, and a quarter received 13.5 months or less.
That spread is wide. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 42 months. For all national defense cases in the 94 districts, 84% were sent to prison.
Pleas and Trials
A total of 15 of the 19 (79%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, 97% of national defense cases ended in a guilty plea. In all offenses in this district, the figure was 93%.
The median prison term was 40 months after a guilty plea. After a trial it was 144 months, based on 3 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison. With so few people, the medians show the size of each group's terms but not what a trial does to a sentence.
Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 person (5%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
After prison, 17 people (89%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 48 months, and 1 person (5%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 2 people (11%), and restitution for none.
In criminal history, 47% were in the lowest category and 53% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Few Cases in Any Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 8 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 11. No year had more than 4 people, and the yearly medians in the table range from 0 months to 306 months. A single year here cannot be read as a trend.
The fiscal year runs from the start of October to the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 306 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 1 | 40 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 4 | 18 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 33 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 153 months | 0 of 2 |
| 2022 | 2 | 12 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | 90 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 95 months | 4 of 4 |
Limits of These Numbers
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Great Lakes, Illinois, is a military installation in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and the records here do not link any installation to these cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern 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.