Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025
172 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Southern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 135 months (11.2 years), compared with 180 months across all 94 federal districts. 23 people (13%) received supervised release for life.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY20 › Sexual Abuse: Southern District of New York
In brief: 172 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Southern District of New York in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 135 months (11.2 years), compared with 180 months across all 94 federal districts. 23 people (13%) received supervised release for life.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 172 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 Compared With All Districts
170 of the 172 people (99%) received a prison term, and 2 (1%) received probation only. The median prison term was 135 months (11.2 years). A quarter received 216 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence.
Across all 94 districts, more than 99% were sent to prison and the median was 180 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 33 months. These are imposed terms, not time served.
Supervised Release for Life
168 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 23 people (13%) received supervised release for life.
2 people (1%) were fined, and 58 (34%) were ordered to pay restitution.
Which Guidelines Applied
"Sexual Abuse" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for this group. The most common primary guideline was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 94 people. Next was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) with 60 people.
Smaller groups used §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) with 14 people and §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) with 2 people. These cases were 1% of the 12,035 people sentenced in the district.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
108 of the 172 people with mandatory minimum information recorded (63%) had one apply.
The Commission's rules set a guideline range for each case. 40 sentences (23%) fell within it. 26 (15%) were below it at the government's request, 102 (59%) were below it without such a request, and 4 (2%) were above it. Across all 94 districts, 41% of sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district, 22%.
Pleas and Trials
154 people (90%) pleaded guilty, and 18 were convicted after a trial. The plea rate was 90% across all 94 districts and 95% for all offenses in this district.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 120 months. After a trial it was 178 months, based on 18 people. 92% of the guilty pleas came with a written agreement, and 7% were straight pleas.
Yearly Counts Are Small
The district sentenced 64 people in this offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 108 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Single years ranged from 4 people in fiscal year 2016 to 28 people in fiscal year 2024.
Medians in the table range from 87 months in fiscal year 2018 to 248 months in fiscal year 2016. Counts of 4 to 28 people do not support conclusions about a trend. A fiscal year begins October 1.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 248 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 15 | 107 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 24 | 87 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 21 | 180 months | 86% |
| 2020 | 14 | 90 months | 93% |
| 2021 | 16 | 156 months | 88% |
| 2022 | 25 | 120 months | 88% |
| 2023 | 15 | 156 months | 87% |
| 2024 | 28 | 132 months | 79% |
| 2025 | 10 | 150 months | 90% |
Criminal History and Limits of the Data
64% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category (Category I), and 5% were in the highest (VI). The military records on this site do not include criminal history.
The data leaves out acquittals and dismissals. It also says nothing about the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (172). 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 Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of New York, 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.