Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025
All 53 people sentenced for robbery in the District of North Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received prison, with a median term of 71 months (5.9 years). That is lower than the 90 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. Sentences were within the guideline range for 47% and below i
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–20 › Robbery: District of North Dakota
In brief: All 53 people sentenced for robbery in the District of North Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received prison, with a median term of 71 months (5.9 years). That is lower than the 90 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. Sentences were within the guideline range for 47% and below it at the government's request for 45%.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 53 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.
Prison Terms in Robbery Cases
Every one of the 53 people (100%) received a prison term. The median was 71 months. A quarter received 45 months or less, and a quarter received 100 months or more.
Across all 94 districts, 99% of people in this type were sent to prison. For all offenses in the District of North Dakota, the median prison term was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Within the Range or Below It at the Government's Request
The sentence was within the guideline range for 25 people (47%). For 24 people (45%), it was below the range at the government's request. It was below the range without a government request for 3 people (6%), and above the range for 1 person (2%).
Across all 94 districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 34%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 13 of the 53 people (25%).
One Trial and 52 Guilty Pleas
A total of 52 of the 53 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The rate was 95% across all 94 districts and 97% for all offenses in the district.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 71.5 months. For the 1 person convicted at trial and sent to prison, it was 60 months. A single case does not show how trials compare with pleas. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement (100%).
Guidelines and Share of the District's Cases
"Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it groups cases by primary guideline. Of the 53 cases, 51 used §2B3.1 (Robbery) and 2 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Robbery was 2% of the 3,337 people sentenced in the district.
Criminal History, Release, and Restitution
In the lowest criminal history category, category I, were 25% of the people. In the highest, category VI, were 17%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 53 people (100%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 18 people (34%), and no fine was ordered for anyone (0%).
Yearly Counts With Gaps
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 15 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 38 people. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September.
The table has no rows for 2019 and 2020. Counts in the other years run from 1 person in 2024 to 13 people in 2022. The medians, such as 114 months in 2024 and 49.5 months in 2023, come from groups too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 2 | 61.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 52.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 12 | 68.5 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 13 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 8 | 49.5 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2024 | 1 | 114 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 76.5 months | 4 of 4 |
Limits of This Data
The records include only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are absent, and the sheet gives no facts about any robbery.
Grand Forks AFB and Minot AFB, both in North Dakota, are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, so these federal figures stand on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of North Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "North Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (53). 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 North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of North Dakota, 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.