Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
Of 23 people sentenced for obscenity and other sex offenses in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 19 (83%) received a prison term and 4 (17%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 18 months across all 94 federal districts. Most sent
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In brief: Of 23 people sentenced for obscenity and other sex offenses in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 19 (83%) received a prison term and 4 (17%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 18 months across all 94 federal districts. Most sentences were below the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 23 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 U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" is a catch-all category. In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), with 18 of the 23 people. Another 4 were sentenced mainly under §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter).
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,907 people sentenced in the district. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced.
Prison Terms
Among the 19 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 16.5 months or more, and a quarter received 5 months or less. The all-districts median was 18 months, which is higher than the median here. The median for all offenses in this district was 48 months.
Across all districts, 95% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The figure here was 83%. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Almost All Below the Guideline Range
Of the 23 people, 1 (4%) was sentenced within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 22% (5), and below the range without a government request were 61% (14). Above the range were 13% (3).
In all districts together, 54% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district the figure was 17%. The records do not show why a court sentenced below the range in a given case.
Pleas, Minimums, and Supervision
All 23 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, guilty pleas were 99% of this offense type. Among guilty pleas here, 96% had a written plea agreement. No mandatory minimum applied to any of the 23 people (0%).
Supervised release was ordered for 19 people (83%). The median term was 60 months, which is long compared with the median prison term. A fine was ordered for 2 people (9%), and restitution for none (0%).
Criminal History
In the federal data, 17% of these people were in category I, the lowest criminal history category, and 4% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 14 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 9 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year starts on October 1.
Yearly counts range from 1 to 6. In 2 years the table shows "n/a" for the median. With groups this small, the table cannot show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2017 | 3 | 12 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 1 | 18 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 26 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 1 | 6 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 15 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6.4 months | 1 of 1 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (23). 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 Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 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.