Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
60 people were sentenced for robbery in the Western District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 60 received a prison term. The median was 102 months (8.5 years), compared with 90 months for all 94 districts. 3 people were convicted after a trial.
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In brief: 60 people were sentenced for robbery in the Western District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 60 received a prison term. The median was 102 months (8.5 years), compared with 90 months for all 94 districts. 3 people were convicted after a trial.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 60 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.
Prison Terms Compared With the National Median
The median prison term was 102 months (8.5 years). A quarter of the 60 people received 128.5 months or more, and a quarter received 84 months or less. None received probation only. Nationally, 99% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, so a prison term was close to universal in both the district and the country.
For "Robbery" in all 94 districts, the median was 90 months, which is lower. For all offenses in this district it was 59.5 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Sentences Mostly Below the Range
The largest group, 33 people (55%), was sentenced below the guideline range without a government request. 16 (27%) were sentenced within the range, 10 (17%) below it at the government's request, and 1 (2%) above it.
In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the within-range share was 32%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 32 of the 60 people with that information recorded (53%).
Criminal History and Restitution
In criminal history, 13% were in the lowest category, Category I, and 40% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Restitution was ordered for 57 people (95%), and no fine was ordered. Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 60 people (100%), with a median term of 36 months.
The Guideline Behind the Offense Type
The U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns the "Robbery" offense type from the main guideline used at sentencing. All 60 people were sentenced under §2B3.1 (Robbery).
Robbery cases were 4% of the 1,403 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Plea and Trial Results
57 of 60 people (95%) pleaded guilty, which matches the 95% national share. For all offenses in this district, 97% pleaded guilty. All of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 102 months after a guilty plea and 240 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 3 people and shows only how this group compares.
Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 36 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 24 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The largest years were fiscal years 2018 and 2019, with 13 and 14 people. Fiscal years 2023 and 2025 each had 2.
Yearly medians range from 76.5 months to 120 months. The counts are small, and the table does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 114 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 4 | 76.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 13 | 120 months | 92% |
| 2019 | 14 | 90 months | 93% |
| 2020 | 8 | 96 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 6 | 92 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2022 | 5 | 120 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 2 | 120 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 1 | 96 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 102 months | 2 of 2 |
Limits of the Records
The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. People whose cases ended in acquittal or dismissal are not included.
The records do not describe the facts of any robbery or the reasons for any sentence. They also cannot show how the 3 trial cases differed from the 57 guilty pleas in any way other than the figures above.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (60). 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 Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, 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.