Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025
107 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 103 (96%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months (4 years), compared with 90 months for robbery cases in all 94 districts. Restitution was ordered for 88 people (82%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY › Robbery: Southern District of California
In brief: 107 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 103 (96%) received a prison term, with a median of 48 months (4 years), compared with 90 months for robbery cases in all 94 districts. Restitution was ordered for 88 people (82%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 107 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.
Restitution Was Common
Restitution was ordered for 88 of the 107 people (82%). No fine was ordered for anyone in this group.
103 people (96%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. The data does not show the amounts of restitution.
Prison Terms
103 of the 107 people (96%) received a prison term, and 3 (3%) received probation only. In all 94 districts, 99% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 48 months. A quarter received 81.5 months or more, and a quarter received 28.5 months or less. The median for all offenses in this district was 15 months.
A listed term is the sentence imposed and not the time actually served.
Pleas and Trials
101 of the 107 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 95% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 46 months. After a trial it was 103 months, based on 6 people. 97% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas.
Few Sentences Within the Range
The Commission's rules give each case a guideline range. 18 sentences (17%) were within it, compared with 40% for robbery in all districts and 15% for all offenses in this district.
65 sentences (61%) were below the range at the government's request, and 21 (20%) were below it without a government request. 3 (3%) were above the range.
Guidelines and Mandatory Minimums
"Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense category. 100 cases used §2B3.1 (Robbery), 3 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and 1 used §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 13 of the 107 people with that information (12%). Robbery cases were less than 1% of the 32,099 people sentenced in the district.
Criminal History
28% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 23% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Medians
49 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 58 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly counts range from 4 to 18.
The yearly medians in the table range from 33 months in 2016 to 109.5 months in 2025, and the latest year has 4 people. The records cannot show why the figures differ.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 18 | 33 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 10 | 46 months | 90% |
| 2018 | 11 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 10 | 57 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 15 | 36.5 months | 87% |
| 2021 | 7 | 52 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 13 | 57 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 12 | 100 months | 92% |
| 2024 | 7 | 57 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2025 | 4 | 109.5 months | 4 of 4 |
Limits
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and it describes no case. The court-martial data lists Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and San Diego in this district. Those courts-martial are tried in military courts, which are separate from this federal data.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (107). 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 Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Southern District of California, 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.