Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025
The District of Colorado sentenced 33 people for stalking or harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 28 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months, the same as the median for all 94 districts. 17 sentences (52%) were within the guideline range, compared with 47% for all distri
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025 › Stalking and Harassment: District of Colorado
In brief: The District of Colorado sentenced 33 people for stalking or harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 28 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months, the same as the median for all 94 districts. 17 sentences (52%) were within the guideline range, compared with 47% for all districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 33 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.
Terms Matched the National Median
Among the 28 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A quarter received 46 months or more, and a quarter received 16.9 months or less. For all districts, the median was also 24 months.
The median for all offenses in the District of Colorado was 36 months, which is higher than this offense type's median.
The other 5 people (15%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all districts, 89% were sent to prison.
Which Guidelines Applied
"Stalking/Harassing" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's name for an offense type. Of the 33 people, 22 were sentenced mainly under §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications). Another 11 were sentenced under §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence).
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,231 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
How Sentences Related to the Guideline Range
The Sentencing Guidelines produce a range for each case, and the records show how each sentence compared with it. A sentence within the range was given to 17 of 33 people (52%).
A sentence below the range without a government request was given to 8 (24%), and one below the range at the government's request to 5 (15%). A sentence above the range was given to 3 (9%).
For all offenses in the District of Colorado, 36% of sentences were within the range.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Of the 33 people, 31 (94%) pleaded guilty and 2 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 92% pleaded guilty. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 22.5 months after a guilty plea and 75 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 28 people (85%), with a median term of 36 months. No fine was ordered (0%), and restitution was ordered for 2 people (6%).
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 32 people with that information recorded (3%).
In criminal history, 45% were in the lowest category, Category I, and 15% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Very Small Yearly Numbers
The district sentenced 9 people in this offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 24 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly table has 1 to 5 people per year.
A median built on 1 to 5 people, such as 90 months in 2016 or 10.3 months in 2021, reflects a few cases and does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 90 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2017 | 2 | 29 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 18 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 53 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 3 | 24 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2021 | 5 | 10.3 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2022 | 5 | 24 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 4 | 50 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 3 | 18 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 17.5 months | 4 of 4 |
What the Data Leaves Out
Acquitted people and dismissed cases are not part of the Commission's data, which covers sentencing only.
The site's court-martial data includes Buckley SFB, Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, all in this district. Military courts hear courts-martial, not this federal court. The records do not tie any installation to the 33 federal cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Colorado (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Colorado") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (33). 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 Colorado, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Colorado, 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.