Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025
All 29 people sentenced for robbery in the Northern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 85 months (7.1 years), compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts. Robbery made up less than 1% of the district's 3,763 sentenced cases.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY20 › Robbery: Northern District of New York
In brief: All 29 people sentenced for robbery in the Northern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 85 months (7.1 years), compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts. Robbery made up less than 1% of the district's 3,763 sentenced cases.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 29 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.
How Long Were the Robbery Prison Terms?
The median prison term for robbery in this district was 85 months. A quarter of the 29 people received 157 months or more, and a quarter received 54 months or less. For robbery in all districts together, the median was 90 months, so the district median was a little lower.
The median for all offenses in the district was 24 months. Robbery sentences were much longer than the district's cases as a whole.
Every one of the 29 people was sent to prison. Across all districts, 99% of people sentenced for robbery received a prison term.
A Small Group in Which Nearly Everyone Pleaded Guilty
A total of 28 of the 29 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 81.5 months. The trial term was 216 months, but it comes from 1 person and cannot be used as a comparison.
Among those who pleaded guilty, 82% had a written plea agreement and 18% entered a straight plea. In all districts, 95% of robbery cases ended in a guilty plea.
Sentences Within and Below the Guideline Range
Federal judges start with an advisory guideline range. In this district, 15 of the 29 robbery sentences (52%) were within the range. For robbery across all districts, the share was 40%.
Another 8 sentences (28%) were below the range at the government's request, and 5 (17%) were below it without a request. One sentence (3%) was above the range.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 10 people (34%).
Which Guidelines Were Used
"Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, based on the primary guideline in each case. The primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) for 25 people. For 3 people it was §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
Criminal History, Supervised Release, and Restitution
On criminal history, 21% of the people were in the lowest category, category I, and 31% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Supervised release followed prison for 28 people (97%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 18 people (62%). No fine was ordered.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 19. The table shows that no robbery sentences are listed for fiscal year 2018 or 2022.
Yearly counts run from 1 to 9. The yearly medians, from 54 months to 195.5 months, rest on groups that are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 96 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2017 | 5 | 78 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 1 | 96 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 195.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 111 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 3 | 54 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 85 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 71 months | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Fort Drum, New York, is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and not in this federal court.
The records do not show the facts of any robbery or the reasons for any sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (29). 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 Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of New York, 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.