Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
264 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 98% received a prison term, with a median of 210 months (17.5 years). A mandatory minimum applied to 207 of the 262 people with that information recorded (79%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Sexual Abuse: Western District of Texas
In brief: 264 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 98% received a prison term, with a median of 210 months (17.5 years). A mandatory minimum applied to 207 of the 262 people with that information recorded (79%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 264 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.
Long Prison Terms and Mandatory Minimums
259 of the 264 people (98%) were sent to prison, and 5 (2%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 210 months (17.5 years). A quarter received 360 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. 9 people received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 207 of the 262 people with that information recorded (79%). The prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Compared With All 94 Districts
In all 94 districts, 12,095 people were sentenced for sexual abuse. More than 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 180 months. The median in this district was higher.
Across every offense type in the district, the median prison term was 10 months. Sexual abuse cases were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced here. The Commission's data calls the district "Texas West".
Which Guidelines Were Used
"Sexual Abuse" is the Commission's own offense type, and it groups several guidelines. The most common primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 135 people.
Next were §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 94 people, and §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse), with 18 people. §2A3.2, a guideline for statutory rape, had 6 people.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
243 of 264 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 21 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 207 months. After a trial it was 293 months.
82% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all 94 districts, 90% pleaded guilty.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
For all 264 people, 61% (161) were within the guideline range. 17% (45) were below it at the government's request, and 19% (49) were below it without a government request. 3% (9) were above it. In all 94 districts, 41% were within the range.
The all-offense rate in this district was 77%.
Supervised Release and Yearly Counts
259 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 120 months. 55 (21%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 39 (15%), and restitution for 72 (27%). 70% were in the lowest criminal history category.
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 100 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 164 people were sentenced. The yearly table shows counts between 17 and 39 people, so each year is small.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 | 235 months | 91% |
| 2017 | 28 | 228 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 18 | 180 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 31 | 180 months | 90% |
| 2020 | 21 | 360 months | 90% |
| 2021 | 17 | 264 months | 94% |
| 2022 | 35 | 240 months | 86% |
| 2023 | 22 | 180 months | 91% |
| 2024 | 30 | 180 months | 93% |
| 2025 | 39 | 240 months | 95% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are missing, and the records give no case facts.
Installations in this district appear in the site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, so these federal figures do not describe them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (264). 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 Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, 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.