Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
69 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for sexual abuse offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 68 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 188 months (15.7 years), compared with 180 months across all 94 districts. 58 of the 69 pleaded guilty, and 11 were convicted
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Sexual Abuse: District of New Jersey
In brief: 69 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for sexual abuse offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 68 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 188 months (15.7 years), compared with 180 months across all 94 districts. 58 of the 69 pleaded guilty, and 11 were convicted after a trial.
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.
Long Prison Terms and Life Supervision
68 of the 69 people (99%) received a prison term, and 1 received probation only. 2 received a life sentence.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 188 months (15.7 years). A quarter received 261 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less.
68 people (99%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 24 people (35%) received supervised release for life.
How the Category Is Built
The Commission's "Sexual Abuse" offense type is assigned from the primary guideline. In this district, 2 guidelines account for most cases: §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor) with 31 people, and §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) with 31.
3 people were sentenced under §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor), and 3 under §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse).
These cases were 1% of the 6,441 people sentenced in the district.
Guilty Pleas Were Less Common Than in the District Overall
58 of the 69 people (84%) pleaded guilty, and 11 were convicted after a trial. Across all 94 districts, 90% pleaded guilty, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 97%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 165 months. After a trial it was 288 months, based on 11 people sent to prison. 98% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The records do not show why these medians differ.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 52 of the 69 people (75%).
For all 69, 41% (28) of sentences were within the guideline range, and 39% (27) were below it at the government's request. 17% (12) were below it without a request, and 3% (2) were above it.
For this offense type across all 94 districts, 41% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 37% were.
Fines, Restitution, and Prior Record
A fine was ordered for 5 people (7%), and restitution for 19 (28%).
67% had the least prior record (criminal history category I), and 7% had the most (category VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 30 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 39. The yearly counts in the table run from 2 to 11 people.
Those counts are small. The medians change from year to year, and the records cannot show whether any change reflects a pattern.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 188 months | 6 of 9 |
| 2017 | 9 | 210 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2018 | 5 | 144 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2019 | 7 | 135 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2020 | 2 | 207.5 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2021 | 7 | 250 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 3 | 250 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 8 | 183 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 8 | 177 months | 6 of 8 |
| 2025 | 11 | 142.5 months | 82% |
What the Records Leave Out
Only convicted and sentenced people are counted. Cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are not in the data, and the terms shown are those imposed rather than served.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is in New Jersey. Courts-martial are held in military courts, and this post gives federal numbers only.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") 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 New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, 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.