Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
All 17 people sentenced for obscenity or other sex offenses in the Western District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 pleaded guilty and received a prison term. The median was 18 months, the same as for this offense type in all 94 districts. Most of these cases, 15, involved failure to regist
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY201 › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: Western District of Kentucky
In brief: All 17 people sentenced for obscenity or other sex offenses in the Western District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 pleaded guilty and received a prison term. The median was 18 months, the same as for this offense type in all 94 districts. Most of these cases, 15, involved failure to register as a sex offender.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 17 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" groups cases by primary guideline. In this district, 15 of the 17 people were sentenced under §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender). The other 2 were sentenced under §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter).
Because of that mix, the figures below describe mostly one kind of case. The category name includes other sex offenses, but most cases here fall under the single registration guideline.
Prison Terms and Pleas
All 17 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. All 17 also received a prison term, and none received probation only.
The median prison term was 18 months. A quarter received 30 months or more, and a quarter received 16 months or less. In all districts, 3,595 people were sentenced for this offense type, 95% were sent to prison, and 99% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 57 months.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Within the range were 8 sentences (47%). Below the range at the government's request were 4 (24%), and below it without such a request were 3 (18%). 2 sentences (12%) were above the range.
For this offense type in all districts, 54% of sentences were within the range. Across all offenses in this district, the figure was 37%. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 17 people. Among the guilty pleas, 94% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement.
A Table of Small Yearly Groups
The district sentenced 3 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 14 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. No year had more than 3 people.
The yearly medians range from 12 months to 48 months. Each rests on 1 to 3 people, so the table should not be read as a trend. A fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 21 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 48 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | 17.7 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 2 | 46.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 12 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 2 | 16 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 30 months | 1 of 1 |
Release After Prison and Criminal History
All 17 people were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months. No fine or restitution was ordered for anyone.
On criminal history, 29% were in the highest category and 6% were in the lowest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What the Records Cannot Show
These cases are less than 1% of the 3,229 people sentenced in the district. Fort Knox, Kentucky is in the district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
The federal data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced, and it gives no facts about any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (17). 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 Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, 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.