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# Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:05:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:05:22.000Z
- Description: In the Northern District of Illinois, 95 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 95 (100%) received a prison term, with a median of 228 months (19 years). The median across all 94 districts was 180 months. For all offenses in this district, it was 42 months.
- 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-illinois/) › Sexual Abuse: Northern District of Illinois

**In brief:** In the Northern District of Illinois, 95 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 95 (100%) received a prison term, with a median of 228 months (19 years). The median across all 94 districts was 180 months. For all offenses in this district, it was 42 months.

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 95 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/).

## Every Person Received Prison

Probation only was not given to anyone in this group. All 95 people (100%) were sent to prison, and 1 received a life sentence.

The median prison term was 228 months (19 years). A quarter received 300 months or more, and a quarter received 150 months or less.

The all-district median for this offense type was 180 months, which is lower than this district's median. The median for all offenses in this district was 42 months.

## Mandatory Minimums and Supervised Release

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 78 of the 95 people (82%).

All 95 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 84 months, and 13 people (14%) received supervised release for life.

Restitution was ordered for 74 people (78%), and a fine for 3 (3%).

## Which Guidelines Were Used

"Sexual Abuse" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and in this district it holds mostly cases under guidelines for sexual exploitation and commercial sex offenses. The most common primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), used for 52 people.

Next was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), used for 32\. Another 9 people were sentenced under §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor), and 1 under §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse).

These cases were 2% of the 6,211 people sentenced in the district.

## Trials and Guilty Pleas

Of the 95 people, 75 (79%) pleaded guilty, and 20 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 90% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 93%.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 204 months. After a trial it was 307.5 months, based on 20 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The data gives no way to tell how the trial cases differed from the plea cases.

Among the guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement, and 4% were straight pleas.

## Guideline Range Results

Sentences within the range were 21 (22%). Sentences below the range without a request from the government were 48 (51%), and those at the government's request were 23 (24%). Above the range were 3 (3%).

In all districts, 41% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 29%. In criminal history, 56% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 8% were in the highest (Category VI).

## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 36 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 59 people. No year has more than 14 people.

Yearly medians range from 113.5 months in fiscal year 2020 to 294 months in fiscal year 2024\. With yearly counts this small, the table does not show a trend. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 5                | 180 months    | 2 of 5         |
| 2017        | 11               | 212 months    | 91%            |
| 2018        | 6                | 210 months    | 5 of 6         |
| 2019        | 14               | 240 months    | 71%            |
| 2020        | 4                | 113.5 months  | 4 of 4         |
| 2021        | 5                | 180 months    | 5 of 5         |
| 2022        | 13               | 216 months    | 92%            |
| 2023        | 14               | 180 months    | 79%            |
| 2024        | 10               | 294 months    | 70%            |
| 2025        | 13               | 228 months    | 69%            |

## Installation Note and Data Limits

The installation at Great Lakes, Illinois, lies within this district. Military courts, not this federal court, try courts-martial, and these federal cases do not come from the installation.

Acquittals and dismissals are not in this data, because it lists only people who were convicted and sentenced. It gives no case facts, and the terms shown are the ones imposed by the court.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (95). 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-illinois/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-northern-district-of-illinois/) (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.