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# Federal National Defense Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-national-defense-sentences-western-district-of-texas/
- Published: 2026-11-04T09:52:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T09:52:10.000Z
- Description: 462 people were sentenced for National Defense offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 0.1 months, which is much lower than the 24 months for all 94 districts. The yearly table shows that 252 of the 462 were sentenced in fiscal year 2025.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-texas/) › National Defense Offense: Western District of Texas

**In brief:** 462 people were sentenced for National Defense offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 0.1 months, which is much lower than the 24 months for all 94 districts. The yearly table shows that 252 of the 462 were sentenced in fiscal year 2025.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 462 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## A Median Prison Term of 0.1 Months

Among the 440 people who were sent to prison, the median prison term was 0.1 months. A quarter received 30.5 months or more, and a quarter received 0.1 months or less. The prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

In all 94 federal districts together, the median prison term for National Defense cases was 24 months. For every offense type in this district, it was 10 months. The district's National Defense median was lower than both.

## What the Yearly Table Shows

The count of people sentenced was 5 in fiscal year 2018 and 252 in fiscal year 2025\. In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 65 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 397 people were sentenced.

The median prison term was 24 months or more in every fiscal year from 2016 to 2024\. It was 0.1 months in fiscal year 2025\. The records show this change but cannot show what caused it, and the fiscal year 2025 group is a large share of the 10-year total.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 21               | 36.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2017        | 14               | 31.5 months   | 93%            |
| 2018        | 5                | 30 months     | 5 of 5         |
| 2019        | 25               | 24 months     | 100%           |
| 2020        | 29               | 36 months     | 100%           |
| 2021        | 30               | 37.5 months   | 97%            |
| 2022        | 23               | 33.5 months   | 100%           |
| 2023        | 35               | 30 months     | 97%            |
| 2024        | 28               | 30 months     | 100%           |
| 2025        | 252              | 0.1 months    | 100%           |

## How the Offense Type and Guidelines Are Defined

"National Defense" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's own offense type, and the Commission's data calls this district "Texas West". The period is fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and each fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

The most common primary guideline was §2M5.2 (Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License), with 228 people. §2M5.1 (Evasion of Export Controls) had 4, and §2M5.3, which covers providing material support to designated terrorist organizations, had 2.

National Defense cases were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district.

## Pleas and Trials

459 of 462 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 0.1 months. After a trial it was 63 months, based on only 3 people.

Among guilty pleas, 35% had a written plea agreement and 65% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range and Other Terms

For the 242 people with the information, 61% (147) were within the guideline range. 18% (43) were below it at the government's request, and 20% (49) were below it without a government request. 1% (3) were above it. In all 94 districts, 36% were within the range.

A mandatory minimum applied to 2 of the 240 people with that information recorded (less than 1%). Supervised release was ordered for 213 (46%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 55 (12%), and restitution for 2 (less than 1%).

90% were in the lowest criminal history category.

## Limits and Installations

People who were acquitted or had charges dismissed are outside this count.

Installations in this district appear in the site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are held in military courts, and the figures above do not describe any of them.

### 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 "National Defense" (462). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-texas/) (overview)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.