Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of New York, 32 people were sentenced for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 24 (75%) received a prison term, with a median of 18.5 months, and 7 (22%) received probation only. Across all 94 federal districts, 89% were sent to prison and th
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY201 › Stalking and Harassment: Eastern District of New York
In brief: In the Eastern District of New York, 32 people were sentenced for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 24 (75%) received a prison term, with a median of 18.5 months, and 7 (22%) received probation only. Across all 94 federal districts, 89% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 24 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 32 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.
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
Only 6 of the 32 people (19%) received a sentence within the guideline range. In all 94 districts, 47% of sentences for this offense type were within the range.
Most sentences in this district were below the range. For 15 people (47%), the sentence was below the range without a request from the government. For 7 (22%), it was below the range at the government's request. Another 4 (13%) were above the range.
For all offenses in the district, 24% of sentences were within the range, so the share for this offense type is lower than the district's overall share.
How Common Prison Was and How Long the Terms Were
The 24 people sent to prison had a median prison term of 18.5 months. A quarter received 25.5 months or more, and a quarter received 14.8 months or less. The median across all districts for this offense type was 24 months, which is higher.
Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was given to 7 people (22%). A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 32 people (3%).
Prison terms here are the terms imposed, not the time served.
What the Commission Means by Stalking/Harassing
"Stalking/Harassing" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it groups several guidelines. The most common primary guideline was §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications), used for 22 people.
Next was §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence), used for 9 people. One person was sentenced under §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
These cases were less than 1% of the 6,411 people sentenced in the district in the same period.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Of the 32 people, 28 (88%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 92% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 95%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 19 months. After a trial it was 18.5 months, based on 4 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. That group is small, so these medians should not be read as a firm comparison.
Among the guilty pleas, 86% had a written plea agreement, and 14% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 5 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 27 people. The largest single year is fiscal year 2025, with 10 people.
The yearly medians range widely, from 14.7 months in fiscal year 2023 to 32.3 months in fiscal year 2021. Most years have 7 people or fewer, so the table does not show a trend. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 18 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 5 | 32.3 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2022 | 7 | 18 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2023 | 2 | 14.7 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 30.6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 21 months | 70% |
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
After prison, 24 people (75%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 8 (25%), and restitution for 5 (16%).
In criminal history, 69% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 0% were in the highest (Category VI).
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, so the numbers cannot show how often stalking or harassment charges ended another way.
The records also give no case details, and they do not explain why a sentence fell above or below the guideline range.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (32). 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 Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of New York, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern 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.