> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:07:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:07:33.000Z - Description: All 68 people sentenced for robbery in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 84 months (7 years), lower than the 90 months for robbery across all 94 federal districts. Sentences within the guideline range were 65% of the group, c - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-south-dakota/) › Robbery: District of South Dakota **In brief:** All 68 people sentenced for robbery in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 84 months (7 years), lower than the 90 months for robbery across all 94 federal districts. Sentences within the guideline range were 65% of the group, compared with 40% nationally. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 68 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Prison Terms for All 68 People 68 of 68 (100%) were sent to prison, and none received probation only. The median was 84 months. A quarter received 130.2 months or more, and a quarter received 48 months or less. Across all 94 districts, 14,845 people were sentenced for robbery, 99% were sent to prison, and the median was 90 months. For all offenses in the District of South Dakota, the median was 36 months. Robbery cases are 1% of the 5,041 people sentenced in the district. ## Sentences Within the Guideline Range The advisory guideline range is the range a judge calculates for each case. 65% of the robbery sentences (44) were within it. 9% (6) were below it at the government's request, 21% (14) were below it without a government request, and 6% (4) were above it. The within-range share was higher here than across all districts for robbery (40%) and than for all offenses in this district (57%). ## Trials and Pleas 62 of 68 (91%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 84 months. After a trial, it was 187.5 months, based on 6 people. The records show that the groups received different medians. They do not show whether going to trial caused the difference. 98% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. ## Mandatory Minimums, Restitution, and Supervised Release A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 18 of the 68 people (26%). Restitution was ordered for 44 (65%), and a fine for 1 (1%). All 68 (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. In criminal history, 25% were in the lowest category I and 18% in the highest VI. ## Small Counts by Year 25 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 43 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. No year had more than 11 people. Yearly medians range from 48 months in fiscal years 2016 and 2024 to 116 months in fiscal year 2022\. With 2 to 11 people in a year, one sentence can move the median, so the table does not show a trend. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 2 | 48 months | 2 of 2 | | 2017 | 7 | 84 months | 7 of 7 | | 2018 | 10 | 74.5 months | 90% | | 2019 | 6 | 77 months | 6 of 6 | | 2020 | 7 | 96 months | 5 of 7 | | 2021 | 10 | 111 months | 90% | | 2022 | 11 | 116 months | 100% | | 2023 | 5 | 78 months | 5 of 5 | | 2024 | 4 | 48 months | 3 of 4 | | 2025 | 6 | 108.5 months | 5 of 6 | ## Guidelines Used The most common primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery), used in 65 cases. §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) was used in 3. ## What the Records Cannot Show The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these figures. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (68). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-south-dakota/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Assault Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-assault-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obscenity-other-sex-offenses-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.