Federal Robbery Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025
In the Middle District of Florida, 268 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 265 (99%) received a prison term, and the median was 129 months (10.8 years). That is higher than the 90 months across all 94 districts.
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In brief: In the Middle District of Florida, 268 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 265 (99%) received a prison term, and the median was 129 months (10.8 years). That is higher than the 90 months across all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 268 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
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Robbery" offense type had 268 people in this district, which was 2% of the 13,145 sentenced. 2 (less than 1%) received probation only, and 265 were sentenced to prison.
The median prison term was 129 months. A quarter received 214 months or more, and a quarter received 87 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence.
Across all districts, 14,845 people were sentenced for robbery, and 99% were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 57 months.
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 172 of the 268 people (64%). All 268 people were sentenced under one guideline, §2B3.1 (Robbery).
Restitution was ordered for 189 people (71%). No fine was ordered for anyone (0%). A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute that a court cannot go below in most cases, so a 64% share means that the length of many of these sentences was limited from below by law. The sheet does not say which statutes were involved.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
236 of 268 people (88%) pleaded guilty, and 32 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts the rate was 95%. For all offenses in this district it was 95%.
The median prison term was 120 months after a guilty plea and 218 months after a trial. The records cannot show whether the trial itself or the nature of the cases accounts for the difference.
Among guilty pleas, 81% had a written plea agreement and 19% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Against the Guideline Range
42% (113 people) were within the guideline range. 30% (80) were below it without a government request, and 21% (57) were below it at the government's request. 7% (18) were above it.
Across all districts, 40% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 47% were. A sentence below the range at the government's request means the government asked the court for a lower sentence. A sentence above the range means the court imposed more than the range recommended. Both happened in this group, though sentences above the range were the least common.
Supervised Release and Criminal History
262 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. For criminal history, 32% were in the lowest category and 17% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Year by Year
The district sentenced 121 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 147 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts ranged from 17 to 40.
Yearly medians ranged from 96 months in fiscal year 2017 to 180 months in fiscal year 2019. Because the yearly groups are small, the swings should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 31 | 120 months | 84% |
| 2017 | 22 | 96 months | 95% |
| 2018 | 28 | 120.5 months | 79% |
| 2019 | 40 | 180 months | 85% |
| 2020 | 17 | 108 months | 88% |
| 2021 | 24 | 100 months | 96% |
| 2022 | 17 | 120 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 33 | 130 months | 88% |
| 2024 | 34 | 145.5 months | 88% |
| 2025 | 22 | 127.5 months | 86% |
What the Records Leave Out
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Dismissals and acquittals are not included. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (268). 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 Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Florida, 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.