> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obscenity-other-sex-offenses-sentences-western-district-of-missouri/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:36:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:36:31.000Z - Description: In the Western District of Missouri, 54 people were sentenced for obscenity and other sex offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 50 of them were sentenced under the failure-to-register guideline. 50 (93%) received a prison term, with a median of 27.5 months (2.3 years). The median supervised rel - 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 Missouri, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-missouri/) › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: Western District of Missouri **In brief:** In the Western District of Missouri, 54 people were sentenced for obscenity and other sex offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 50 of them were sentenced under the failure-to-register guideline. 50 (93%) received a prison term, with a median of 27.5 months (2.3 years). The median supervised release term was 84 months. 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 54 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/). ## Supervised Release Lasted Years Supervised release after prison was ordered for 50 people (93%). The median term was 84 months, and 3 people (6%) received supervised release for life. No fine (0%) and no restitution (0%) was ordered for any of the 54. ## Failure to Register Dominated the Category The U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns this offense type by primary guideline. 50 of the 54 people were sentenced under §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), and 4 under §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter). The 54 cases were less than 1% of the 7,571 people sentenced in the district over the period. ## Prison Terms Compared With the National Figures 4 people (7%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all 94 federal districts, 95% of the 3,595 people in this offense type were sent to prison. Among those sent to prison here, a quarter received 35.2 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less. The median of 27.5 months was higher than the 18 months for all districts, and lower than the 72 months for all offenses in this district. ## Straight Pleas Were Common All 54 (100%) pleaded guilty. None were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 99% pleaded guilty. 52% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 48% were straight pleas, entered without a deal with the prosecutor. ## Within the Range More Often Than Across the District 65% (35) of sentences were within the guideline range. 13% (7) were below it without a government request, 13% (7) were above it, and 9% (5) were below it at the government's request. For all districts, 54% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 38% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 54 people with that information recorded (2%). ## Criminal History and Counts by Year Criminal history was in category I, the lowest, for 9%, and in category VI, the highest, for 17%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 21 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 33\. Yearly counts range from 1 to 9\. The table lists medians from 18 months to 60 months, with 60 months in fiscal year 2024, which had 5 people. These small groups do not show a trend. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 7 | 18 months | 7 of 7 | | 2017 | 9 | 27 months | 9 of 9 | | 2018 | 2 | 30.5 months | 2 of 2 | | 2019 | 3 | 30 months | 3 of 3 | | 2020 | 6 | 31.5 months | 6 of 6 | | 2021 | 6 | 32 months | 6 of 6 | | 2022 | 8 | 28.5 months | 8 of 8 | | 2023 | 7 | 24 months | 7 of 7 | | 2024 | 5 | 60 months | 5 of 5 | | 2025 | 1 | 21 months | 1 of 1 | ## Scope of the Data Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are missing, and the terms are those imposed rather than served. Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman AFB are in this district. Courts-martial there are held in military courts and are not counted here. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (54). 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 Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-missouri/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-missouri/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-western-district-of-missouri/) (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.