Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Oklahoma, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Oklahoma, 139 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 71 months (5.9 years). The median for this offense type across all 94 federal districts was 90 months. Restitution was ordered for 67 people (48%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Oklahoma, FY20 › Robbery: Northern District of Oklahoma
In brief: In the Northern District of Oklahoma, 139 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 71 months (5.9 years). The median for this offense type across all 94 federal districts was 90 months. Restitution was ordered for 67 people (48%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 139 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.
Median Prison Term
Of the 139 people, 134 (96%) received a prison term, and 4 (3%) received probation only. 1 person received a life sentence. Among those sent to prison, the median term was 71 months. A quarter received 121.8 months or more, and a quarter received 45.2 months or less.
In all districts, the Commission counts 14,845 people for robbery, with 99% sent to prison and a median of 90 months. The Oklahoma median is lower. Robbery cases were 4% of the 3,400 people sentenced in this district, and the median for all offenses here was 37 months.
How Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
The most frequent result was a sentence below the range at the government's request: 40% (56). Within the range were 35% (49), below it without a request were 19% (26), and above it were 6% (8).
For all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 45%. The records do not give the reasons for sentences below the range.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
A total of 134 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 70 months after a guilty plea and 225 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 5 people.
Written plea agreements covered 93% of the guilty pleas, and 7% were straight pleas. The data covers only people who were convicted.
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 43 of the 138 people with that information recorded (31%). Congress sets these minimums for certain offenses, and the records do not show which one applied to each person.
Yearly Counts
The group has 24 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 115 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Counts were 1 to 9 people a year through 2020 and 17 to 24 a year from 2021 on, as the table shows. A fiscal year starts on October 1.
The median was 156 months in 2019 and 58.5 months in 2021. Small yearly groups make these medians unstable, and the records do not show why they differ.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 52 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 7 | 110.5 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2018 | 7 | 46 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2019 | 9 | 156 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2020 | 7 | 60 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2021 | 22 | 58.5 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 23 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 17 | 63 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 24 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 22 | 76 months | 95% |
Guidelines, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
"Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) for 132 people and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 7.
Courts ordered supervised release for 134 people (96%), with a median term of 36 months. No fine was ordered (0). In criminal history, 27% were in the lowest category I and 16% in the highest category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the post reports federal numbers on their own. Terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Oklahoma North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (139). 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 Oklahoma, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Oklahoma, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Oklahoma, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Oklahoma, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Oklahoma, 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.