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# Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:39.000Z
- Description: All 15 people sentenced for robbery in the Northern District of West Virginia received a prison term. The median was 104 months (8.7 years), higher than the 90 months across all 94 federal districts. The records cover fiscal years 2017 to 2025.
- 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 West Virginia,](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) › Robbery: Northern District of West Virginia

**In brief:** All 15 people sentenced for robbery in the Northern District of West Virginia received a prison term. The median was 104 months (8.7 years), higher than the 90 months across all 94 federal districts. The records cover fiscal years 2017 to 2025.

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 15 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/).

## Every Robbery Sentence Included Prison

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 15 people in the offense type it labels "Robbery." Each one (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. Across all districts, 99% of people sentenced for robbery went to prison.

The median prison term was 104 months (8.7 years). A quarter received 140 months or more, and a quarter received 49.5 months or less. For all offenses in this district, the median was 37 months, so robbery terms were much longer than the district's cases overall.

These 15 cases were less than 1% of the 2,879 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.

## Guidelines and Mandatory Minimums

The Commission assigns offense types by the primary guideline applied. In this district, 13 robbery cases used §2B3.1 (Robbery), and 2 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 15 people (13%). The records list it as a fact about the case and do not say how it affected the term.

## Where Sentences Fell Against the Range

Of the 15 people, 7 (47%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 4 (27%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request, and 1 (7%) was sentenced below it without a request. 3 people (20%) were sentenced above the range.

Across all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 57% were. Above-range sentences occurred in this offense type, unlike the assault and money laundering cases in this district, where none were above the range.

## Guilty Pleas and the One Trial

Of the 15 people, 14 (93%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 95% pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement, and 7% were straight pleas.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 87 months. The one person convicted at trial received 120 months. A single case cannot be compared with the plea group.

## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History

All 15 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 9 (60%). No fines were ordered.

In the criminal history records, 7% were in the lowest category, category I, and 13% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

The district sentenced 4 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 11 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Fiscal year 2022 had 6 people, with a median of 82 months. Other years had 1 or 2.

The table shows large swings in the median from year to year, such as 240 months in 2023 and 46 months in 2020\. Each of these rests on 1 person, so the table cannot be read as a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2017        | 2                | 49.5 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2019        | 2                | 155 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2020        | 1                | 46 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 1                | 180 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2022        | 6                | 82 months     | 6 of 6         |
| 2023        | 1                | 240 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2025        | 2                | 137.5 months  | 1 of 2         |

## What the Records Do Not Show

Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

The records do not describe the offenses, so they cannot show how a robbery that led to a 46-month term differs from one that led to a 240-month term.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "W Virginia North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (15). 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 West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Northern District of West Virginia, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-prison-offenses-sentences-northern-district-of-west-virginia/) (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.