Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
58 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Missouri for offenses in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" category, with sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 35 (60%) received a prison term, with a median of 30 months. 22 (38%) received probation only.
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In brief: 58 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Missouri for offenses in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" category, with sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2024. 35 (60%) received a prison term, with a median of 30 months. 22 (38%) received probation only.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 58 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" Category Contains
"Other" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for cases that do not fit its named categories, assigned from the primary guideline in each case. In this district, the most common was §2D1.11 (Unlawfully Distributing, Importing, Exporting or Possessing a Listed Chemical), used for 31 people.
Next was §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge), for 18. §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)) was used for 4, and §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant) for 1. Because the category is a mix, the totals do not describe a single kind of case.
Prison Terms and Probation
Of the 58 people, 35 (60%) were sent to prison, and 22 (38%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all 94 districts, 38% were sent to prison in this category.
The median prison term here was 30 months (2.5 years). A quarter received 45 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less. The median for all districts was 0.2 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 46 months.
Pleas and Trials
56 of the 58 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. For all districts, 98% pleaded guilty. Among guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement and 2% were straight pleas.
The median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 53.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people.
Guideline Range
The range was recorded for 56 people. Below it at the government's request were 28 sentences (50%). Within it were 23 (41%), below it without a request were 4 (7%), and above it was 1 (2%).
For all districts, 90% of sentences in this category were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 42% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 56 people (0%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 32 people (55%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 5 (9%), and restitution for 10 (17%).
In criminal history, 45% were in the lowest category and 13% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 40 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 18. Yearly counts range from 1 to 17, and the table shows "n/a" for fiscal year 2023. Counts this small are not trends.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records cannot show why this district's figures differ from the national ones.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 17 | 34 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 12 | 39 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 7 | 12.5 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0.4 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 1 | 71 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2021 | 7 | 36 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2023 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 20 months | 2 of 2 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (58). 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 Missouri, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Eastern District of Missouri, 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.