> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-stalking-harassing-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:17:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:17:27.000Z
- Description: The District of North Dakota sentenced 27 people for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 26 (96%) received prison, with a median of 22.5 months, about the same as the 24 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. Sentences were below the guideline range
- 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 District of North Dakota, FY2016–20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-north-dakota/) › Stalking and Harassment: District of North Dakota

**In brief:** The District of North Dakota sentenced 27 people for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of them, 26 (96%) received prison, with a median of 22.5 months, about the same as the 24 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. Sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request for 41%, and within it for 37%.

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 27 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/).

## Which Guidelines Were Used?

"Stalking/Harassing" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it groups cases by primary guideline. In this district, 14 cases used §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence) and 13 used §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications).

The records do not give separate results for each guideline. These cases were less than 1% of the 3,337 people sentenced in the district.

## Prison Terms

A prison term went to 26 of the 27 people (96%), and 1 person (4%) received probation only. The median prison term was 22.5 months. A quarter received 10.2 months or less, and a quarter received 32.2 months or more.

Across all 94 districts, 89% of people in this type were sent to prison. For all offenses in the District of North Dakota, the median was 36 months. The terms are those imposed by the court, not time actually served.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

The sentence was below the guideline range at the government's request for 11 people (41%). It was within the range for 10 people (37%), and below the range without a government request for 6 people (22%). None was above the range (0%).

Across all 94 districts, 47% of sentences in this type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 34%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 25 people with that information recorded (4%).

## Pleas and Trials

A total of 25 of the 27 people (93%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The rate for this type across all 94 districts was 92%, and for all offenses in the district it was 97%.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 22.5 months. After a trial it was 48 months, based on 2 people. A group of 2 is too few to show how trials generally end. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement (100%).

## Criminal History

In the lowest criminal history category, category I, were 41% of the people. In the highest, category VI, were 30%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the measure cannot be compared with military cases.

## Release and Restitution

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 26 people (96%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 5 people (19%). No fine was ordered for anyone (0%).

## How Many Cases Each Year?

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 12 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 15 people. Each fiscal year begins on October 1.

The yearly counts run from 1 person to 5 people. The median was 31.5 months in 2016, 24 months in 2023, and 6 months in 2025\. With so few people per year, no trend can be read from the table, which lists no median for 2021.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 2                | 31.5 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2017        | 3                | 30 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2018        | 4                | 24 months     | 3 of 4         |
| 2019        | 3                | 21 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2020        | 1                | 8.8 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 1                | n/a           | 1 of 1         |
| 2022        | 2                | 42 months     | 1 of 2         |
| 2023        | 5                | 24 months     | 5 of 5         |
| 2024        | 2                | 18 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2025        | 4                | 6 months      | 4 of 4         |

## Limits of the Data

This data starts at conviction and sentencing. A stalking or harassment charge that ended in acquittal or dismissal would not be in it, and no case facts are included.

Grand Forks AFB and Minot AFB are located in North Dakota. Service members at those bases face courts-martial in military courts, and nothing here measures that system.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of North Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "North Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (27). 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 District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-north-dakota/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Assault Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-assault-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (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.