Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
46 people were sentenced for robbery in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 46 pleaded guilty and all received a prison term, with a median of 109 months, compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY201 › Robbery: Eastern District of Kentucky
In brief: 46 people were sentenced for robbery in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 46 pleaded guilty and all received a prison term, with a median of 109 months, compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 46 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.
No Trials, and Mostly Within the Guideline Range
46 of 46 people (100%) in the Commission's "Robbery" offense type pleaded guilty in this district, and 0 were convicted after a trial. 96% of them had a written plea agreement, and 4% entered a straight plea.
72% of the sentences (33 people) were within the advisory guideline range. 15% (7) were below it at the government's request, and 11% (5) were below it without a government request. 2% (1) were above it.
In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, it was 54%.
How Long the Prison Terms Were
All 46 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median was 109 months (9.1 years). A quarter received 159.8 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less.
The robbery category in all districts had 14,845 people, 99% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 90 months. Across all offenses in the Eastern District of Kentucky, the median was 70 months.
Mandatory Minimums, Release, and Restitution
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 12 of the 46 people (26%). All 46 (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months.
A fine was ordered for 1 person (2%), and restitution for 34 (74%).
Guidelines and Criminal History
The primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) for 45 people. §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) was the primary guideline for 1.
24% were in the lowest criminal history category, Category I, and 30% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this post reports federal numbers alone.
A Small Share of the District's Work
Robbery cases were 1% of the 4,374 people sentenced in the district. 11 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 35 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. More robbery cases fall in the later group of years, though the records cannot show what changed in the cases themselves.
Year-by-Year Counts
The yearly table shows between 1 and 10 people per year. 2019 does not appear, which means no one is counted in that year in this category.
The median prison term ranges from 41 months in 2017 to 156 months in 2016. Those years had 1 and 7 people. With groups this small, the yearly medians are not a reliable guide to a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 156 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2017 | 1 | 41 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 120 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2020 | 9 | 120 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2021 | 3 | 46 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 10 | 71.5 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 5 | 80 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2024 | 5 | 60 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2025 | 3 | 65 months | 3 of 3 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included. The data also does not describe whether a weapon was used or what happened in any single case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (46). 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 Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, 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.