Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
All 90 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 180 months (15 years), the same as the median across all 94 federal districts. Guilty pleas were 92% here and 90% nationally.
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In brief: All 90 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 180 months (15 years), the same as the median across all 94 federal districts. Guilty pleas were 92% here and 90% nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 90 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 Reached a Median of 15 Years
Every one of the 90 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 180 months (15 years). A quarter received 240 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less.
The median for all offenses in this district was 48 months. Sexual abuse cases had a much higher median than the district's cases overall. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
What the Offense Type Includes
"Sexual Abuse" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it is broader than the name suggests. The most common primary guideline was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 40 people. Next were §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) with 29, §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) with 8, and §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) with 5.
These cases were 3% of the 2,907 people sentenced in the district. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced.
Pleas and Trials
A total of 83 of 90 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 7 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% were straight pleas.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 169 months. After a trial it was 360 months, based on 7 people. That group is small, and the records do not show what separates those cases from the pleas.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Sentences within the guideline range were 28% (25 people). Below the range at the government's request were 38% (34), and below the range without a government request were 24% (22). Above the range were 10% (9).
In all districts together, 41% of sentences were within the range. A mandatory minimum applied to 67 of the 90 people (74%).
Supervised Release
All 90 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 16 people (18%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 2 people (2%), and restitution for 30 (33%).
Criminal History
In the federal data, 47% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 9% in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that comparison cannot be made.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 25 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 65 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal years run from October 1 to the end of September.
Yearly counts range from 4 to 15, which is small. A single year's median can move a great deal when a few cases change, so the table is not evidence of a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 96 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 5 | 120 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2018 | 11 | 200 months | 82% |
| 2019 | 5 | 180 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2020 | 8 | 120 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 13 | 169 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 15 | 180 months | 93% |
| 2023 | 8 | 120 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 210 months | 83% |
| 2025 | 9 | 180 months | 8 of 9 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (90). 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 Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 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.