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# Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:34:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:34:51.000Z
- Description: Of 341 people sentenced for robbery in the Eastern District of Michigan in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 337 (99%) received a prison term, with a median of 90 months (7.5 years). That median is the same as for all 94 federal districts. After a trial, the median was 396 months, based on 21 people.
- 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 Eastern District of Michigan, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-michigan/) › Robbery: Eastern District of Michigan

**In brief:** Of 341 people sentenced for robbery in the Eastern District of Michigan in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 337 (99%) received a prison term, with a median of 90 months (7.5 years). That median is the same as for all 94 federal districts. After a trial, the median was 396 months, based on 21 people.

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 341 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/).

## Trial Sentences Were Much Longer Than Plea Sentences

Of the 341 people, 320 (94%) pleaded guilty and 21 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 84 months. After a trial, it was 396 months, which is higher.

A group of 21 people is small, and the records do not show how the cases differed in other ways. The comparison describes these groups only.

Among the guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas. For all 94 districts, 95% pleaded guilty in robbery cases, and for all offenses in this district the rate was 96%.

## Prison Terms Overall

Prison was almost universal: 337 people (99%) received a prison term, and 2 (less than 1%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The same 99% share was sent to prison across all 94 districts.

The median was 90 months. A quarter received 144 months or more, and a quarter received 57 months or less. For all offenses in this district, the median was 36 months, so robbery terms are higher than the district-wide figure.

## Mandatory Minimums

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 141 of the 341 people (41%). Supervised release followed prison for 337 (99%), with a median term of 36 months.

Restitution was ordered for 223 people (65%). No fine was ordered (0%).

## Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range

Within the range were 33% (113) of the 341 sentences. Below the range at the government's request were 22% (75), below it without a government request 43% (145), and above the range 2% (8).

For all 94 districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 38%. Robbery sentences within the range were less common here than nationally.

## The Guideline and Criminal History

"Robbery" is the Commission's offense type, drawn from the primary guideline. Nearly all cases, 335, were sentenced mainly under §2B3.1 (Robbery). Another 6 were sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).

In criminal history, 26% were in the lowest category (category I) and 15% in the highest (category VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Caseload Share and Yearly Counts

Robbery cases were 5% of the 7,508 people sentenced in this district. There were 203 in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 138 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.

The table shows medians from 49.5 months in 2025 to 138 months in 2023, with 16 to 65 people per year. Fiscal years begin on October 1\. These yearly figures show no trend that the records can explain.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 65               | 98.5 months   | 88%            |
| 2017        | 51               | 84 months     | 94%            |
| 2018        | 42               | 72 months     | 95%            |
| 2019        | 45               | 63 months     | 93%            |
| 2020        | 18               | 94.5 months   | 94%            |
| 2021        | 16               | 110 months    | 88%            |
| 2022        | 22               | 100 months    | 100%           |
| 2023        | 25               | 138 months    | 96%            |
| 2024        | 22               | 105 months    | 95%            |
| 2025        | 35               | 49.5 months   | 100%           |

## What Is Not Counted

The data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are missing. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (341). 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 Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-eastern-district-of-michigan/) (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.