Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
The Eastern District of Wisconsin sentenced 12 people in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 6 (50%) received prison and 6 (50%) received probation only. Prison terms were very short, with a median of 0.1 months.
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In brief: The Eastern District of Wisconsin sentenced 12 people in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 6 (50%) received prison and 6 (50%) received probation only. Prison terms were very short, with a median of 0.1 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 12 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
"Other" is a residual category used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission for cases that do not fit its named offense types. It is not a single kind of crime. The most common primary guidelines were §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)) with 4 people and §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge) with 4. One person was sentenced mainly under §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant).
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,907 people sentenced in the district. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced.
Prison and Probation Were Equally Common
Of the 12 people, 6 (50%) received a prison term, and 6 (50%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all districts, 38% of people in this offense type were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 0.1 months. A quarter received 2.3 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. The all-districts median was 0.2 months. The median for all offenses in this district was 48 months.
These are terms imposed by the court, not time served.
Most Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Sentences within the guideline range were 75% (9 people). Below the range at the government's request were 17% (2), and above the range was 8% (1). None were below the range without a government request (0).
In all districts together, 90% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 17%. Here, the Other category was within the range far more often than the district's cases overall.
Pleas, Minimums, and Supervision
All 12 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of the 10 people with that information recorded (10%).
Supervised release was ordered for 5 people (42%), with a median term of 12 months. No fine was ordered (0), and restitution was ordered for 5 people (42%).
Criminal History and Yearly Counts
In the federal data, 64% were in category I, the lowest criminal history category, and 0% in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
The district sentenced 4 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 8 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year starts on October 1. The table has 1 or 2 people per year, and "n/a" appears for several medians. Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 3 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 2 | 3 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0.1 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (12). 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.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
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 Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 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.