Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025
Of the 21 people sentenced for obscenity or other sex offenses in the District of Maine, 20 received a prison term, with a median of 24 months. That is longer than the 18 months for the same offense type across all 94 districts. Within-range sentences were 57% in Maine, compared with 54% nationally.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: District of Maine
In brief: Of the 21 people sentenced for obscenity or other sex offenses in the District of Maine, 20 received a prison term, with a median of 24 months. That is longer than the 18 months for the same offense type across all 94 districts. Within-range sentences were 57% in Maine, compared with 54% nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 21 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.
Failure to Register Is the Main Guideline
"Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's name for a category of federal cases. It covers 21 people in the District of Maine, with sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. Of those, 15 were sentenced primarily under §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), and 6 under §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter).
These 21 people were 1% of the 1,628 people sentenced in the district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025. A federal fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends the following September.
Prison Terms
Of the 21 people, 20 (95%) received a prison term, and 1 (5%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 33 months or more, and a quarter received 14.3 months or less.
The national group of 3,595 people had a median of 18 months, and 95% were sent to prison. The median for all offenses in Maine was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range
Within the guideline range were 57% of sentences (12). One sentence (5%) was below the range at the government's request, and 8 (38%) were below the range without a government request. None was above the range.
Within-range sentences are more common here than for all offenses in Maine, where the figure was 30%. The figure for this offense type in all districts was 54%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 21 people with that information recorded.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
Guilty pleas were entered by 19 of 21 people (90%), and 2 were convicted after a trial. Nationwide, guilty pleas were 99% for this offense type, and 96% for all offenses in Maine.
The median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 21 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 2 people and cannot support a comparison.
Among guilty pleas, 42% had a written plea agreement and 58% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 19 people (90%), with a median term of 60 months. No fine was ordered, and restitution was ordered for 1 person (5%).
Among the 21 people, 19% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 19% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year and What Is Missing
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 13 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 8 people. The table lists the years with cases. Each year has 1 to 4 people, so no trend can be read from it.
The Commission's data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not show people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed, or the facts of any case.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 4 | 12 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2018 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 3 | 25 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 3 | 30 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 4 | 24 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2023 | 1 | 21 months | 1 of 1 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maine (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maine") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (21). 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 District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Maine, 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.