Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
135 people were sentenced for Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 135 pleaded guilty. 93% received a prison term, and the median was 21 months. The most common primary guideline was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), with 1
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: Western District of Texas
In brief: 135 people were sentenced for Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 135 pleaded guilty. 93% received a prison term, and the median was 21 months. The most common primary guideline was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), with 111 people.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 135 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.
What This Offense Type Includes
"Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" is a category the U.S. Sentencing Commission uses. In this district, it is mostly made up of one guideline, §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), which was the primary guideline for 111 of the 135 people.
The next most common was §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter), with 23 people. §2G3.2 (Obscene Telephone Communications for a Commercial Purpose) had 1 person.
The Commission's data calls the district "Texas West". These cases were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Terms and Probation
126 of the 135 people (93%) received a prison term, and 8 (6%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 30 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 3,595 people were sentenced for these offenses. 95% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 18 months. The median in this district was higher. The median for all offense types in this district was 10 months.
Every Person Pleaded Guilty
135 of 135 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. The data therefore has no sentences after trial for this group.
Among the guilty pleas, 38% had a written plea agreement and 62% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 135 people (1%).
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
83 people (61%) were within the guideline range. 6 (4%) were below it at the government's request, and 30 (22%) were below it without a government request. 16 (12%) were above it.
In all 94 districts, 54% were within the range, which is lower than the 61% here.
Counts Fell After Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 91 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 44 people were sentenced. The yearly table shows 20 to 25 people a year through fiscal year 2019 and 6 to 9 people a year from fiscal year 2020 on.
The median prison term was 46 months in fiscal year 2024 and 36 months in fiscal year 2025, based on 7 and 9 people. The records show these counts but cannot show why they changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 | 21 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 25 | 22.5 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 22 | 20 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 20 | 18 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 8 | 16.7 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 6 | 24 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 7 | 14 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2023 | 7 | 19.6 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 46 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2025 | 9 | 36 months | 9 of 9 |
Supervised Release and Other Terms
125 people (93%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months. 1 person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 21 (16%), and restitution for 1 (less than 1%).
26% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 10% were in the highest.
Limits
The count includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served. Military installations in the district hold courts-martial in military courts, and these federal numbers say nothing about those cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (135). 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 (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 Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, 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.