> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-northern-district-of-california/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:07:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:07:49.000Z - Description: In the Northern District of California, 136 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 96% received a prison term. The median prison term was 60 months, lower than the 90 months for robbery in all 94 districts. Only 21% were sentenced within the guideline range. - 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 Northern District of California, FY](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-california/) › Robbery: Northern District of California **In brief:** In the Northern District of California, 136 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 96% received a prison term. The median prison term was 60 months, lower than the 90 months for robbery in all 94 districts. Only 21% were sentenced within the guideline range. 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 136 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/). ## Prison Terms for Robbery in This District The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Robbery" covers 136 people here, or 3% of the 4,531 people sentenced in the district. A total of 131 (96%) received a prison term, and 4 (3%) received probation only. In all 94 districts, 99% were sent to prison. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years). A quarter received 35 months or less, and a quarter received 88 months or more. The median in all districts was 90 months, and the median for all offenses in this district was 30 months. Robbery terms here were therefore higher than the district overall. All terms are those imposed, not time served. ## Trials Produced Longer Median Terms A total of 124 of 136 (91%) pleaded guilty, and 12 were convicted after a trial. Robbery cases in all districts had a 95% guilty plea rate. In this district, all offenses together had 95%. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 57 months. After a trial it was 168 months, based on 12 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The groups differ in many ways the records do not show, so the comparison does not measure the effect of going to trial. Among the guilty pleas, 89% had a written plea agreement, and 11% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## Position Against the Guideline Range The guideline range is the range the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines calculate for each case. All 136 people had this information. A total of 21% (28) were sentenced within the range. In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range, and in this district, all offenses together had 24%. A below-range sentence without a government request applied to 44% (60), and one at the government's request applied to 32% (43). Above-range sentences applied to 4% (5). ## Guidelines and Mandatory Minimums The most common primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery), with 132 cases. 2 cases each used §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 27 of the 136 people (20%). ## Yearly Counts Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 64 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 72 people. The yearly count runs from 6 in 2024 to 20 in 2019\. The yearly median ran from 87 months in 2018 to 15 months in 2024, but a year with 6 people is a small base. A fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 16 | 67 months | 81% | | 2017 | 13 | 70 months | 69% | | 2018 | 15 | 87 months | 80% | | 2019 | 20 | 55.5 months | 100% | | 2020 | 12 | 60 months | 100% | | 2021 | 14 | 55.5 months | 100% | | 2022 | 10 | 51 months | 100% | | 2023 | 13 | 37 months | 92% | | 2024 | 6 | 15 months | 6 of 6 | | 2025 | 17 | 42 months | 94% | ## Supervision, Restitution, and Criminal History Supervised release after prison was ordered for 132 (97%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 (1%), and restitution for 105 (77%). In this group, 23% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 18% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## What the Records Leave Out The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear in these numbers. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (136). 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 Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-california/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-california/) (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.