Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of Michigan, 18 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Other" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 18, 11 (61%) received a prison term and 7 (39%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months. 17 of the 18 (94%) pleaded guilty.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY201 › Other Offense: Eastern District of Michigan
In brief: In the Eastern District of Michigan, 18 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Other" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 18, 11 (61%) received a prison term and 7 (39%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months. 17 of the 18 (94%) pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 18 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 "Other" Offense Type Means
"Other" is a catch-all category used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. It holds cases that do not fit the Commission's named offense types, so it is not one kind of crime.
In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)), used for 8 people. Next was §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge), used for 4.
A total of 2 people were sentenced under §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant), and 1 under §2D1.11 (Unlawfully Distributing, Importing, Exporting or Possessing a Listed Chemical).
Prison Versus Probation
Probation only was the sentence for 7 of the 18 people (39%). Across all 94 districts, 38% of people in this type were sent to prison, so the district's prison share of 61% is higher.
The median prison term among those sent to prison was 6 months. A quarter received 12 months or more, and a quarter received 0.1 months or less. The median for all districts was 0.2 months.
For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 36 months.
One Trial Conviction
17 of the 18 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. In all districts, 98% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 4.2 months. The person convicted at trial and sent to prison received 60 months. A single case cannot show how trial and plea sentences compare in general.
Among the guilty pleas, 88% had a written plea agreement, and 12% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 16 people with that information recorded.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Sentences were within the guideline range for 83% of the people (15). That is higher than the 38% for all offenses in the district. In all districts, the share for this type was 90%.
The other 3 sentences (17%) were below the range without a government request. None was below the range at the government's request, and none was above.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 9 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 9 people. The sentences in the table are from fiscal years 2017 to 2024.
No year has more than 4 people. Fiscal year 2018 has a median of 90 months for 3 people, and fiscal year 2017 has a median of 0 months for 3 people. These are small groups of mixed offenses, so the table does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 0 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 3 | 90 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 3 | 31.2 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2020 | 3 | 6 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 4 | 7 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0.1 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 6 people (33%), with a median term of 18 months. A fine was ordered for 2 (11%), and restitution for 1 (6%).
In criminal history, 56% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 0% were in the highest (Category VI).
What the Records Leave Out
These cases were less than 1% of the 7,508 people sentenced in the district. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so dismissals and acquittals are not in it.
Because the group mixes several kinds of offenses, the records cannot show what any single median says about one crime.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (18). 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 Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, 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.