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# Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-district-of-south-carolina/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:33:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:33:06.000Z
- Description: 135 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of South Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 131 (97%) received a prison term with a median of 180 months (15 years), the same as for this offense type in all 94 districts. 92 people (68%) received supervised release for life.
- 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 South Carolina, FY2016–](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-south-carolina/) › Sexual Abuse: District of South Carolina

**In brief:** 135 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of South Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 131 (97%) received a prison term with a median of 180 months (15 years), the same as for this offense type in all 94 districts. 92 people (68%) received supervised release for life.

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 135 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/).

## Supervised Release for Life

131 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 92 (68%) received supervised release for life.

Restitution was ordered for 74 people (55%). No fine was ordered. The U.S. Sentencing Commission counts people under the offense type "Sexual Abuse," a category that covers several guidelines.

## Prison Terms

The median prison term was 180 months. A quarter received 290.5 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence. 3 people (2%) received probation only.

The median for all districts in this offense type was also 180 months. For all offenses in the District of South Carolina, it was 48.2 months. The yearly table shows medians from 114 months in fiscal year 2016 to 271 months in fiscal year 2022.

These are terms imposed, not time served.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 13               | 114 months    | 100%           |
| 2017        | 7                | 210 months    | 5 of 7         |
| 2018        | 19               | 240 months    | 79%            |
| 2019        | 14               | 240 months    | 100%           |
| 2020        | 3                | 120 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2021        | 7                | 188 months    | 7 of 7         |
| 2022        | 22               | 271 months    | 100%           |
| 2023        | 18               | 159.5 months  | 100%           |
| 2024        | 17               | 240 months    | 94%            |
| 2025        | 15               | 174 months    | 100%           |

## Guidelines Used

For 62 people, the primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material). For 45, it was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor).

26 people had §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse), and 1 had §2A3.3 (Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Ward or Attempt to Commit Such Acts). These cases were 2% of the 6,874 people sentenced in the district.

## Plea and Trial Outcomes

128 of 135 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 7 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 90% pleaded guilty.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 180 months. After a trial, it was 360 months, based on 7 people. The records do not show why the 180-month and 360-month medians differ.

91% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 9% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Mandatory Minimums and Guideline Range

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 83 of the 135 people with that information recorded (61%). A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute that a court generally cannot go below.

32% (43) were sentenced within the guideline range. 40% (54) were below it at the government's request, and 25% (34) were below it without a government request. 3% (4) were above the range. Within-range sentences were lower than the 41% for all districts and the 47% for all offenses in the district.

## Criminal History and Counts by Period

64% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 4% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

There were 53 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 82 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Several single years have 3 to 7 people, so yearly medians describe small groups.

## Limits of These Numbers

Joint Base Charleston, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, and Shaw AFB lie within this district. Courts-martial are heard in military courts and are not counted in this federal data.

The Commission data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not describe the facts of any case or show charges that ended in acquittal or dismissal.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Carolina") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (135). 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 South Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-south-carolina/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-south-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-south-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-south-carolina/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-south-carolina/) (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.