Federal Other Offense Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's catch-all offense type "Other" covered 22 people in the District of Montana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Most received probation only (14 people, 64%), and 13 were sentenced under the guideline for acquiring a controlled substance by forgery, fraud, deception, or su
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 › Other Offense: District of Montana
In brief: The U.S. Sentencing Commission's catch-all offense type "Other" covered 22 people in the District of Montana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Most received probation only (14 people, 64%), and 13 were sentenced under the guideline for acquiring a controlled substance by forgery, fraud, deception, or subterfuge.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 22 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 the Category Contains
"Other" is a grouping for cases that do not fit the Commission's named offense types, so it mixes unrelated conduct. In Montana, the most common primary guideline was §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge), with 13 people.
Another 5 people were sentenced under §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant). One person each was sentenced under §2D3.1 (Regulatory Offenses Involving Registration Numbers) and §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)). The group was less than 1% of the 3,524 people sentenced in the district.
Probation Only Was More Common Than Prison
Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 14 of the 22 people (64%). A prison term went to 6 (27%). In all 94 districts, 9,918 people were sentenced under this offense type, and 38% were sent to prison.
The 6 people sent to prison had a median prison term of 12 months. A quarter received 17.9 months or more, and a quarter received 9 months or less. The national median was 0.2 months.
Almost All Sentences Were Within the Range
Of the 21 people with the information recorded, 17 (81%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 4 (19%) were below it without a government request. No sentence was below the range at the government's request, and none was above it.
Nationally, 90% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in Montana, the share was 33%.
Pleas
All 22 people pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. A written plea agreement was part of 73% of the pleas, and 27% were straight pleas with no agreement.
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 22.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 6 people (27%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 8 people (36%), and restitution for 2 (9%).
In criminal history category I, the lowest, 67% of the group were placed, and 5% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 7 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 15 people. The table lists between 1 and 5 people per year. Medians show n/a in the years when no one or too few people went to prison. Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 12 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 4 | n/a | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 4 | 12 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 19.9 months | 4 of 4 |
What the Records Cannot Show
Malmstrom AFB, Montana, is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these figures.
Acquittals and dismissals are not counted. Prison terms are those imposed, not served. Because the category is a catch-all, these numbers do not describe any single kind of case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Montana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Montana") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (22). 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 Montana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Montana, 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.