Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 106 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the "Robbery" offense type, and 103 (97%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 101 months (8.4 years), compared with 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY20 › Robbery: Eastern District of Louisiana
In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 106 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the "Robbery" offense type, and 103 (97%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 101 months (8.4 years), compared with 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 106 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 in This District
Of the 106 people, 103 (97%) were sent to prison and 2 (2%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 101 months. A quarter received 166 months or more, and a quarter received 51 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 14,845 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 99% were sent to prison. The median prison term for all offenses in this district was 60 months.
A Single Guideline Describes Nearly Every Case
Offense types in the Commission's data follow each case's main sentencing guideline. For robbery in this district, that guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) in 105 of the 106 cases. The remaining case was sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
These cases were 4% of the 2,953 people sentenced in this district in the period.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
The guideline range was followed in 55% of cases (58 people). The sentence was below the range without a government request for 20% (21 people) and at the government's request for 12% (13 people). It was above the range for 13% (14 people).
Across all 94 districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range, while 56% of sentences for all offenses in this district were.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 40 of the 106 people, which is 38%.
9 Trials Compared With 97 Guilty Pleas
Guilty pleas numbered 97 of 106 (92%), and 9 people were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 94.5 months. After a trial it was 180 months, based on 9 people.
A written plea agreement was in place for 47% of the guilty pleas, and 53% were straight pleas with no agreement. The guilty plea share for all 94 districts in this offense type was 95%.
Restitution and Supervised Release
Restitution was ordered for 65 people (61%), and no fines were ordered. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 103 people (97%), with a median term of 36 months.
In criminal history, 26% were in the lowest category and 18% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts Are Small
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 38 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 68 people. No single year had more than 16 people.
The yearly median prison term ranged from 59 months to 193.5 months. With 4 to 16 people per year, these medians move with a few cases and do not show a trend. The table lists each fiscal year.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 97.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 7 | 59 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2018 | 13 | 75 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 14 | 151 months | 79% |
| 2020 | 9 | 60 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2021 | 11 | 87 months | 91% |
| 2022 | 13 | 125 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 11 | 168 months | 73% |
| 2024 | 16 | 92 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 8 | 193.5 months | 7 of 8 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not describe the facts of any case. This post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (106). 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 Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Louisiana, 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.