Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025
The District of Utah sentenced 201 people in the Commission's "Sexual Abuse" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 96 months (8 years), compared with 180 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. Of the 201 people, 197 (98%) were sent to prison.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 › Sexual Abuse: District of Utah
In brief: The District of Utah sentenced 201 people in the Commission's "Sexual Abuse" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 96 months (8 years), compared with 180 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. Of the 201 people, 197 (98%) were sent to prison.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 201 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.
A Lower Median Term Than in All Districts
Of the 201 people, 197 (98%) received a prison term and 4 (2%) received probation only. In all 94 districts, more than 99% were sent to prison.
The median prison term in the district was 96 months. A quarter received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less. The all-district median was 180 months, which is higher than the district's median.
The terms are those imposed, not time served. For all offenses in the district, the median was 30 months.
What the Offense Type Contains
"Sexual Abuse" is the Commission's category, assigned from the primary guideline. It includes cases involving minors as well as other sexual abuse offenses.
The most common guideline was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), used for 98 people. Next was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), used for 70.
A total of 16 people were sentenced under §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse), and 8 under §2A3.2.
Mandatory Minimums and Lifetime Supervision
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 88 of the 201 people with that information recorded (44%).
Supervised release was ordered for 197 people (98%), with a median term of 120 months. Of the 201 people, 103 (51%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 2 people (less than 1%), and restitution for 38 (19%).
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
Sentences were within the guideline range for 31% of the people (63). Below-range sentences at the government's request were 50% (100), and below-range sentences without a request were 5% (11).
Sentences above the range were 13% (27). In all districts, 41% of sexual abuse sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the share was 24%.
Pleas and the Single Trial
Of the 201 people, 200 (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. In all districts, guilty pleas were 90%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 96 months. The one person convicted at trial and sent to prison received 360 months. One case cannot be compared with the plea cases.
All of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. In criminal history, 55% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 3% were in the highest (Category VI).
Yearly Counts and Medians
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 61 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 140 people. Fiscal year 2023 has the most, with 37 people.
The yearly median ranges from 50.5 months in fiscal year 2019 to 121 months in fiscal year 2016. With groups of 11 to 37, the table does not show a trend. Fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 | 121 months | 91% |
| 2017 | 18 | 96 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 20 | 96 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 12 | 50.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 17 | 80 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 14 | 90 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 27 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 37 | 108 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 19 | 90 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 26 | 120 months | 100% |
Limits of the Data
Sexual abuse cases were 3% of the 7,061 people sentenced in the district. Hill AFB, Utah, is in the district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. The records give no facts about any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Utah (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Utah") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (201). 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 Utah, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Utah, 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.