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# Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-district-of-minnesota/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:06:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:06:51.000Z
- Description: 152 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 240 months (20 years), compared with 180 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. A mandatory minimum applied to 74% of the people with
- 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 District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-minnesota/) › Sexual Abuse: District of Minnesota

**In brief:** 152 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 240 months (20 years), compared with 180 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. A mandatory minimum applied to 74% of the people with that information recorded.

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 152 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/).

## Prison Terms

151 of the 152 people (more than 99%) received a prison term, and 1 (less than 1%) received probation only. In all districts, more than 99% were sent to prison.

Among those sent to prison, the median was 240 months (20 years). A quarter received 300 months or more, and a quarter received 147 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence. For all offenses in the District of Minnesota, the median was 70 months. Terms are those imposed, not time served.

## What the Offense Type Contains

The Commission assigns the offense type by the primary guideline. In Minnesota, 94 people were sentenced under §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material). 28 were sentenced under §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), and 18 under §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse). 4 were sentenced under §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor).

The category is therefore broader than its name. These cases were 4% of the 3,630 people sentenced in the district.

## Mandatory Minimums

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 111 of the 151 people with that information recorded (74%). A mandatory minimum is set by statute, and a judge must impose at least that term unless a legal exception applies.

The records do not show which sentences involved an exception.

## Pleas and Trials

133 of 152 people (88%) pleaded guilty, and 19 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 235 months after a guilty plea and 282 months after a trial.

Guilty pleas were 90% for this offense type in all districts and 94% for all offenses in this district. 97% of guilty pleas in Minnesota had a written plea agreement.

## Guideline Range

57 people (38%) were sentenced below the range without a government request, 49 (32%) were below it at the government's request, and 41 (27%) were within it. 5 people (3%) were above the range.

The within-range share was 41% in all districts and 31% for all offenses in this district.

## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History

151 people (more than 99%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 120 months. 29 people (19%) received supervised release for life.

A fine was ordered for 1 person, and restitution for 74 (49%). 59% were in the lowest criminal history category and 9% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Yearly Counts

73 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 79 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The fiscal year runs October 1 through the end of September.

Yearly counts are from 10 to 23 people. The yearly medians run from 168 months in 2017 to 294 months in 2020\. The records cannot show the reasons for those differences.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 23               | 210 months    | 70%            |
| 2017        | 13               | 168 months    | 92%            |
| 2018        | 14               | 251 months    | 93%            |
| 2019        | 23               | 292 months    | 91%            |
| 2020        | 12               | 294 months    | 92%            |
| 2021        | 10               | 234 months    | 100%           |
| 2022        | 13               | 239 months    | 77%            |
| 2023        | 10               | 190 months    | 80%            |
| 2024        | 16               | 235 months    | 94%            |
| 2025        | 18               | 235 months    | 94%            |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Minnesota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Minnesota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (152). 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 District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-minnesota/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (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.