Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025
235 of the 236 people sentenced for the Commission's offense type "Robbery" in the Eastern District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 144 months (12 years), compared with 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 87% pleaded guilty, an
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY201 › Robbery: Eastern District of Virginia
In brief: 235 of the 236 people sentenced for the Commission's offense type "Robbery" in the Eastern District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 144 months (12 years), compared with 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 87% pleaded guilty, and 30 were convicted after a trial.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 236 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 of 144 Months at the Median
Of the 236 people, 235 (more than 99%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 144 months. A quarter received 197 months or more, and a quarter received 95.5 months or less.
In all districts, 14,845 people were sentenced for robbery, 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 90 months. The median here is higher. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months. All terms are those imposed, not time served.
The Trial Group
30 people were convicted after a trial, and 206 (87%) pleaded guilty. For this offense type in all districts, 95% pleaded guilty.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 141 months. After a trial, it was 177.5 months, based on 30 people. Of the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement, and 4% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Which Guideline Applied
Robbery is the Commission's offense type. §2B3.1 (Robbery) was the primary guideline for 229 people. §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) applied to 6, and §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) to 1.
Robbery cases were 2% of the 10,381 people sentenced in the district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 157 of the 236 people (67%).
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
49% of sentences (115) were within the guideline range. 15% (35) were below it at the government's request, and 27% (63) were below it without a government request. 10% (23) were above it.
Across all districts, 40% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 60%.
Yearly Counts
115 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 121 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The federal fiscal year starts October 1 and ends the next September.
Counts in the table run from 13 to 35 people a year. Medians run from 108 months to 161 months, and the lowest median is in fiscal year 2025, with 21 people. The records cannot show what accounts for the differences.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 35 | 144 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 20 | 127.5 months | 90% |
| 2018 | 32 | 161 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 28 | 150.5 months | 86% |
| 2020 | 23 | 136 months | 83% |
| 2021 | 14 | 158 months | 79% |
| 2022 | 13 | 154 months | 69% |
| 2023 | 33 | 150 months | 88% |
| 2024 | 17 | 144 months | 71% |
| 2025 | 21 | 108 months | 100% |
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Limits
Restitution was ordered for 192 people (81%). No fine was ordered. 235 people (more than 99%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months.
Criminal history category I, the lowest, applied to 22% of the people, and category VI, the highest, also applied to 22%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fort Lee, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Norfolk are in this district, and their courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The data omits people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Virginia East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (236). 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 Virginia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, 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.