Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025
The District of Utah sentenced 182 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 173 (95%) received a prison term. The median was 60 months (5 years), compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 districts. Restitution was ordered for 137 people (75%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 › Robbery: District of Utah
In brief: The District of Utah sentenced 182 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 173 (95%) received a prison term. The median was 60 months (5 years), compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 districts. Restitution was ordered for 137 people (75%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 182 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 for Robbery
Of the 182 people, 173 (95%) were sent to prison and 9 (5%) received probation only. In all districts, 99% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 60 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less.
The all-district median was 90 months, which is higher. For all offenses in the district, the median was 30 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
One Guideline, Restitution, and Fines
"Robbery" is the Commission's category. In the district, 178 people were sentenced under §2B3.1 (Robbery), and 1 under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Restitution was ordered for 137 people (75%). No fine was ordered in any of the cases. Supervised release was ordered for 170 people (93%), with a median term of 36 months.
Criminal History
In criminal history, 15% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 34% were in the highest (Category VI).
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 22 of the 182 people (12%).
Category I is the lowest criminal history category and Category VI is the highest. The records show the category for each person but not the prior offenses behind it. The criminal history share in the highest category is larger than the share in the lowest.
Pleas and Trials
Of the 182 people, 180 (99%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, guilty pleas were 95%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. After a trial it was 79 months, based on 2 people. A group of 2 is too small to compare with the plea cases. Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement. For all offenses in the district, guilty pleas were 99%.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Range
Sentences below the guideline range at the government's request were 47% (85). Within-range sentences were 25% (45), and below-range sentences without a request were 21% (39).
Sentences above the range were 7% (13). In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in the district, 24%.
Fiscal Year Counts and Medians
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 87 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 95 people. Yearly counts are between 13 and 27.
The yearly median ranges from 41 months in fiscal year 2020 to 72 months in fiscal year 2023. At these counts the table does not show a trend. Fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 19 | 60 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 20 | 58 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 27 | 69 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 21 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 16 | 41 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 18 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 19 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 13 | 72 months | 92% |
| 2024 | 15 | 55.5 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 14 | 52.5 months | 100% |
Scope and Limits
Robbery cases were 3% of the 7,061 people sentenced in the district. The military installation Hill AFB, Utah, is in the district, but courts-martial are held in military courts.
Only convicted and sentenced people are in the Commission's data. The records do not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Utah (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Utah") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (182). 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 Utah, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Utah, 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.