Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025
In the Southern District of New York, 709 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 53.1 months (4.4 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. After a trial the median was 188 months, based on 17 people.
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In brief: In the Southern District of New York, 709 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 53.1 months (4.4 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. After a trial the median was 188 months, based on 17 people.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 709 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 Robbery Sentences?
699 of the 709 people (99%) received a prison term, and 6 (less than 1%) received probation only. The median prison term was 53.1 months (4.4 years). A quarter received 85.7 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
For all 94 districts together, the median for robbery was 90 months, and 99% were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 33 months.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
692 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 17 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 51 months. After a trial it was 188 months.
The trial group is small, and the records cannot show what separates it from the plea group. Among the guilty pleas, 84% had a written plea agreement and 16% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 186 of the 706 people with that information recorded (26%). Mandatory minimums are floors set by statute.
19% of the sentences (135 people) were within the guideline range. 18% (126) were below it at the government's request, and 63% (444) were below it without a government request. Less than 1% (4) were above it. Across all 94 districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the share was 22%.
The Guidelines Behind the Cases
"Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for this group. The primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) for 702 people and §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) for 4 people.
These cases were 6% of the 12,035 people sentenced in the district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
Restitution was ordered for 354 people (50%), and a fine for 4 people (less than 1%). 688 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.
34% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category (Category I), and 15% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Year-by-Year Counts
Yearly counts in the table range from 30 people in fiscal year 2020 to 98 people in fiscal year 2019. Yearly medians range from 38.1 months in fiscal year 2018 to 60 months in several years.
Because the counts are modest and the medians move in both directions, the table shows no single direction. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 72 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 84 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 74 | 38.1 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 98 | 48 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 30 | 40.5 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 63 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 89 | 55 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 55 | 54.5 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 89 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 55 | 49.2 months | 96% |
Limits of the Data
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are included. People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are not counted.
The prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the records do not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (709). 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 New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Southern 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.