Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
The Commission's "Other" offense type covers cases that do not fit its named categories. In the Eastern District of Texas, 25 people were sentenced under it in fiscal years 2017 to 2024, and 19 (76%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 38 months, compared with 0.2 months across all 94
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In brief: The Commission's "Other" offense type covers cases that do not fit its named categories. In the Eastern District of Texas, 25 people were sentenced under it in fiscal years 2017 to 2024, and 19 (76%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 38 months, compared with 0.2 months across all 94 federal districts.
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.
What "Other" Means Here
The U.S. Sentencing Commission sorts each case into an offense type. "Other" is a catch-all for cases outside the named types, so it does not describe one kind of crime. In this district, the records list cases from fiscal years 2017 to 2024 only.
The most common primary guideline was §2X7.2 (Submersible and Semi-Submersible Vessels), with 15 people. Another 2 were sentenced under §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)), and 2 under §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge). One person was sentenced under §2D3.1 (Regulatory Offenses Involving Registration Numbers).
Prison Terms
Of the 25 people, 19 (76%) received a prison term and 5 (20%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 38 months (3.2 years). A quarter received 63 months or more, and a quarter received 32.5 months or less. These are imposed terms, not time served.
Supervised release was ordered for 19 people (76%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (12%), and restitution for 3 (12%).
Compared With All Districts
For the "Other" type in all 94 federal districts, the Commission counted 9,918 people. In that group, 38% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 0.2 months. The district's figures, 76% and 38 months, are much higher on both measures.
The records do not show what accounts for the difference, since the label covers many different kinds of cases. For all offenses in the Eastern District of Texas, the median prison term was 64.5 months. The "Other" group is less than 1% of the 7,998 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Pleas and the Guideline Range
All 25 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and all of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 24 people with that information recorded.
The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the Commission's rules. Of the 25 people, 21 (84%) were sentenced within it. One (4%) was sentenced below it at the government's request, 2 (8%) were sentenced below it without a government request, and 1 (4%) was sentenced above it. Across all districts, 90% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 64%.
Criminal History and Yearly Counts
In the lowest criminal history category were 76% of the group, and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
The district sentenced 3 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 22 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the following September. Fiscal year 2024 alone had 12 people, and several years have 1 or 2. Those uneven counts mean the yearly medians do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 2 | 34.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 3 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 5 | 46 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2024 | 12 | 38 months | 100% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. The records do not describe the facts of any case, and the label "Other" hides how different the underlying offenses can be.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas East") 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 Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern 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.