Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025
The median prison term for the 69 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of Nevada in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 153 months (12.8 years). In all 94 federal districts the median was 180 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 44 of the 69 people (64%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 › Sexual Abuse: District of Nevada
In brief: The median prison term for the 69 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of Nevada in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 153 months (12.8 years). In all 94 federal districts the median was 180 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 44 of the 69 people (64%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 69 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 Were Lower Than in All Districts
Of the 69 people, 68 (99%) received a prison term, and 1 received probation only. The median prison term was 153 months. A quarter received 236.2 months or more, and a quarter received 89.2 months or less.
For sexual abuse in all districts, the median was 180 months, so the Nevada median was lower. The median for all offenses in the District of Nevada was 33 months.
Mandatory Minimums and Supervised Release
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 44 of the 69 people (64%).
Supervised release followed prison for 68 people (99%). The median term was 180 months, and 39 people (57%) received supervised release for life.
Pleas and Trials
A total of 60 of 69 people (87%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 90% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 120 months after a guilty plea and 292 months after a trial. The trial figure comes from 9 people. Among guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement and 3% were straight pleas.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
The guideline range was recorded for 68 people. Of those, 27 (40%) were within the range and 24 (35%) were below it at the government's request. Another 12 (18%) were below it without a request, and 5 (7%) were above it.
In all districts, 41% of sentences in this offense type were within the range.
What the Offense Type Includes
"Sexual Abuse" is a category assigned by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and it covers more than one kind of case. The most common primary guideline was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 36 people. Next was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 26.
A total of 3 people each were sentenced under §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) and §2A3.4 (Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact). Sexual abuse was 2% of the district's 3,640 cases.
Fines, Restitution, and Criminal History
A fine was ordered for 2 people (3%), and restitution for 22 (32%).
On criminal history, 55% were in the lowest category, category I, and 6% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 35 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 34. Yearly counts range from 3 to 12.
The yearly medians range from 36 months to 360 months. With so few people in each year, the records do not support describing a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 108 months | 7 of 9 |
| 2017 | 12 | 87 months | 83% |
| 2018 | 6 | 36 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2019 | 8 | 318 months | 6 of 8 |
| 2020 | 3 | 360 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 5 | 196 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2022 | 10 | 189 months | 90% |
| 2023 | 4 | 272 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2024 | 4 | 120 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2025 | 8 | 170 months | 7 of 8 |
Limits of the Records
Creech AFB and Nellis AFB are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. It does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nevada (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nevada") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (69). 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 District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Nevada, 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.