Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025
In the District of Utah, 52 of the 58 people sentenced in the Commission's "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were sentenced under the guideline for failure to register as a sex offender. Of the 58, 54 (93%) received a prison term, and the median was 13 months, compared
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: District of Utah
In brief: In the District of Utah, 52 of the 58 people sentenced in the Commission's "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were sentenced under the guideline for failure to register as a sex offender. Of the 58, 54 (93%) received a prison term, and the median was 13 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 58 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.
Mostly Failure-to-Register Cases
The category "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" is the Commission's grouping. In the district, the primary guideline for 52 people was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender).
For 3 people it was §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter). The numbers therefore describe registration cases much more than obscenity cases. The records do not show the conduct behind any registration charge.
Prison Terms
Of the 58 people, 54 (93%) received a prison term, and 4 (7%) received probation only. In all districts, 95% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 13 months. A quarter received 21 months or more, and a quarter received 7 months or less. The all-district median was 18 months, which is higher than the district's median.
For all offenses in the district, the median was 30 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
Supervised Release Lasts Longer Than Prison
Supervised release was ordered for 52 people (90%). The median term was 60 months, and 9 people (16%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 2 people (3%). No restitution was ordered.
Pleas and Mandatory Minimums
All 58 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. Every plea had a written plea agreement. In all districts, guilty pleas were 99%.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 58 people with that information recorded (0%). In the district as a whole, guilty pleas were 99% across all offenses.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Within-range sentences were 29% (17). Below-range sentences at the government's request were 45% (26), and below-range sentences without a request were 19% (11).
Sentences above the range were 7% (4). In all districts, 54% of sentences for this type were within the range, and for all offenses in the district, 24%.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 24 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 34 people. Fiscal year 2024 has 11 people, and fiscal year 2023 has 2.
The yearly median is 0 months in fiscal years 2017 and 2021 and 27 months in fiscal year 2016. The groups are small, so the table does not show a trend. Fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 27 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 3 | 12 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 10 | 13.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 5 | 16 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 5 | 11.8 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 2 | 16.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 15 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 5 | 18 months | 5 of 5 |
Criminal History and Limits
In criminal history, 15% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 15% were in the highest (Category VI).
These cases were less than 1% of the 7,061 people sentenced in the district. Hill AFB, Utah, is in the district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts. The Commission counts only convicted and sentenced people, so acquittals and dismissals are not in the data.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Utah (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Utah") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (58). 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 Utah, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Utah, 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.