Federal Other Offense Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025
25 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced in the Commission's "Other" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 14 of them (56%) received probation only, and 9 (36%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months (2 years). The median for this offense type in all 94 federal district
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 › Other Offense: District of Minnesota
In brief: 25 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced in the Commission's "Other" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 14 of them (56%) received probation only, and 9 (36%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months (2 years). The median for this offense type in all 94 federal districts was 0.2 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 25 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.
More Probation Than Prison
14 of the 25 people (56%) received probation only, which means no prison or other confinement. 9 (36%) received a prison term. In all districts, 38% of people in this offense type were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison in Minnesota, the median was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 15 months or less. The median for all offenses in the District of Minnesota was 70 months. Terms are those imposed.
A Category for Cases That Fit No Other Type
The Commission's "Other" offense type holds cases outside its named categories, and the primary guideline shows what they have in common. In Minnesota, 9 people were sentenced under §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge). 1 person was sentenced under §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant), and 1 under §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)).
These cases were less than 1% of the 3,630 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Trial Sentences Were Not Longer Here
20 of the 25 people (80%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 48 months. After a trial it was 13.5 months, based on 4 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
This is the reverse of the pattern in many offense types, but the groups are very small, and the records give no case facts that could explain it. Guilty pleas were 98% for this offense type in all districts and 94% for all offenses in this district. Every guilty plea in Minnesota (100%) had a written plea agreement.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Of the 20 people with this information, 17 (85%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 2 (10%) were below it without a government request, and 1 (5%) was above it. None was below the range at the government's request.
For all districts, 90% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 31%. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 20 people.
Supervision, Fines, and Criminal History
9 people (36%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (12%), and restitution for 4 (16%).
94% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 0% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
8 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 17 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
9 of the 25 were sentenced in 2024, with a median of 36 months and 5 of 9 pleading guilty. Other years have 1 to 3 people, and several medians show n/a. The table has no row for 2023. It does not support a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 60 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | 18 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 36 months | 5 of 9 |
| 2025 | 3 | 15 months | 2 of 3 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Minnesota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Minnesota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (25). 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 Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Minnesota, 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.