Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
243 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 240 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 132 months (11 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 180 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 › Sexual Abuse: District of New Mexico
In brief: 243 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 240 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 132 months (11 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 180 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 243 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 Terms and Life Sentences
Among the 240 people sent to prison, a quarter received 240 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less. 6 people received a life sentence. 2 people (less than 1%) received probation only.
Nationally, 12,095 people were sentenced for sexual abuse, and more than 99% were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 3.5 months.
Trial Sentences Compared With Plea Sentences
228 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 15 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 120 months after a guilty plea and 360 months after a trial.
Nationally, 90% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. Among guilty pleas here, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 72 of the 243 people (30%). Sentences were within the guideline range for 29% (70). 53% (130) were below it at the government's request, and 12% (28) were below it without a request. 6% (15) were above it.
Across all districts, 41% of sentences in this type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 59%.
Which Guidelines Were Most Common?
Sexual Abuse is the Commission's offense type for these cases, and it includes several guidelines. §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) was listed for 111 cases. §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) was listed for 51.
§2A3.2 (Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts) was listed for 28. §2A3.4 (Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact) was listed for 27. These cases were less than 1% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the district.
Supervised Release for Many Years or for Life
239 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 34 (14%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 12 people (5%), and restitution for 62 (26%). 68% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 2% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts and Medians by Year
79 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 164 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Each fiscal year begins on October 1.
The yearly median was 50 months in 2016 and 168 months in 2025. It was 216 months in 2019, the highest in the table. Yearly counts range from 14 to 38 people, so single years should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 14 | 50 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 24 | 96 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 14 | 48 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 27 | 216 months | 89% |
| 2020 | 21 | 97 months | 86% |
| 2021 | 24 | 120 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 38 | 120 months | 92% |
| 2023 | 31 | 168 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 32 | 152.5 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 18 | 168 months | 94% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission's records leave out anyone who was acquitted or whose case was dismissed. They also omit case facts, and the prison terms are terms imposed, not time served. The district includes Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB, whose courts-martial are held in military courts outside these numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (243). 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 Mexico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of New Mexico, 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.