Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" offense type had 15 people sentenced in the Western District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2017 to 2025. 7 (47%) received a prison term, and 6 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 15.7 months.
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In brief: The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" offense type had 15 people sentenced in the Western District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2017 to 2025. 7 (47%) received a prison term, and 6 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 15.7 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 15 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 Is
The category called "Other" is a catch-all in the Commission's scheme, covering offenses that do not fit its named types. The cases in it differ from each other.
The most common primary guidelines here were §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge) with 7 people, §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)) with 3, and §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant) with 2.
These cases were 1% of the 1,403 people sentenced in the district.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
Prison went to 7 of the 15 people (47%). Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 6 (40%).
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 15.7 months. A quarter received 20 months or more, and a quarter received 6.5 months or less.
For all 94 federal districts together, this offense type had 9,918 people. 38% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 0.2 months. The share sent to prison was higher in this district, and the median was higher. For all offenses in the district, the median was 59.5 months.
Most Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Within the guideline range were 80% of the sentences (12 people). 7% (1) were below the range at the government's request, and 13% (2) were below the range without a government request. None were above the range.
The share within the range was 90% for all 94 districts in this offense type and 32% for all offenses in this district.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 12 people with that information recorded (0%).
Pleas
Every person pleaded guilty: 15 of 15 (100%). No one was convicted after a trial. 93% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guilty pleas were 98% for all 94 districts in this offense type.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
7 people (47%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 24 months. A fine was ordered for 8 (53%), and restitution for 1 (7%).
In criminal history, 69% were in the lowest category and 15% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Small Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 7 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 8 people. The table shows 6 fiscal years with cases, each with 1 to 5 people. Fiscal year 2019 lists the median as n/a. With counts this small, no trend can be drawn.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5 | 11 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 3 | 9.3 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 2 | 60 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 2 | 24 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 7 months | 1 of 1 |
What These Records Cannot Show
The counts include convicted people only, and the prison terms are imposed terms, not time served.
The records say nothing more about these cases than the guidelines listed.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (15). 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 Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western 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.