Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
288 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 284 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 70 months. The median for all 94 federal districts was 90 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 81 of the 288 (28%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 › Robbery: District of New Mexico
In brief: 288 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 284 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 70 months. The median for all 94 federal districts was 90 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 81 of the 288 (28%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 288 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.
Mandatory Minimums in Robbery Cases
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 81 of the 288 people (28%). The sheet gives no national mandatory minimum figure for comparison.
Among the 284 sent to prison, a quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 40.8 months or less. 4 people (1%) received probation only.
How This Offense Type Compares Nationally
Robbery is the Commission's offense type for these cases. Nationally, 14,845 people were sentenced for robbery, 99% were sent to prison, and 95% pleaded guilty.
Here, 96% pleaded guilty. Robbery cases were less than 1% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the district. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 3.5 months.
Pleas, Trials, and Agreements
277 people pleaded guilty, and 11 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 63 months after a guilty plea and 110 months after a trial.
The trial group has 11 people. Among guilty pleas, 87% had a written plea agreement and 13% were straight pleas.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
Sentences were within the guideline range for 33% of the 288 people (94). 36% (105) were below the range at the government's request, and 25% (71) were below it without a request. 6% (18) were above it.
Across all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 59% were.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Prior Record
279 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 154 (53%), and a fine for 4 (1%).
26% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 15% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Primary Guidelines
§2B3.1 (Robbery) was the primary guideline in 286 cases. §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) were listed for 1 case each.
Counts by Fiscal Year
99 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 189 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September.
The yearly count was highest in 2023, at 55, and lowest in 2018, at 15. The yearly median was 46 months in 2017 and 120 months in 2025. Those are different groups of 24 and 25 people, so they show variation more than a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 25 | 71 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 25 | 46 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 15 | 63 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 34 | 58.5 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 28 | 58.5 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 24 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 36 | 61.5 months | 92% |
| 2023 | 55 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 22 | 72 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 24 | 120 months | 92% |
What Is Not in the Records
Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB are in the district. Their courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The data covers convicted, sentenced people, with no acquittals or dismissals, and the terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (288). 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 District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of New Mexico, 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.