Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2017 to 2025, 35 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia for stalking and harassing offenses. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years) for the 30 people (86%) sent to prison. Of the 35, 20% were sentenced above the guideline range.
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In brief: In fiscal years 2017 to 2025, 35 people were sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia for stalking and harassing offenses. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years) for the 30 people (86%) sent to prison. Of the 35, 20% were sentenced above the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 35 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.
The Median Prison Term and Its Range
Of the 35 people, 30 (86%) received a prison term and 3 (9%) received probation only. The median prison term was 30 months. A quarter received 56.8 months or more, and a quarter received 16.2 months or less.
For all 94 districts together, 89% of 2,263 people were sent to prison, and the median was 24 months. In this district, the median for all offenses was 46 months.
Above, Within, and Below the Range
The guideline range is calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Of 35 people, 20% (7) were sentenced above the range. Another 26% (9) were within the range, 40% (14) were below it without a government request, and 14% (5) were below it at the government's request.
The within-range share was 47% for this offense type in all districts and 60% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 35 people (6%).
Trials and Pleas
Guilty pleas accounted for 31 of 35 cases (89%), and 4 people were convicted after a trial. The share pleading guilty was 92% for all districts and 96% for all offenses in this district.
The median prison term was 27 months after a guilty plea and 63.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 4 people. Among the guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement and 3% did not.
Which Guidelines Were Used
"Stalking/Harassing" is the Sentencing Commission's offense category. The most common primary guideline was §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications), with 26 people. The other listed guideline was §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence), with 8.
These cases were less than 1% of the 10,381 people sentenced in the district between fiscal years 2016 and 2025.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 30 people (86%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 12 (34%), and a fine for 1 (3%).
In the lowest criminal history category were 65% of the people, and 9% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 13 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 22 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. The yearly counts range from 2 to 6.
Because each year has so few people, the medians in the table can move with one case. The table does not show a trend, and 2025 has no median shown.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 31.9 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 6 | 56 months | 4 of 6 |
| 2019 | 4 | 16 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2020 | 5 | 34 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 4 | 37 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 5 | 30 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2023 | 3 | 30 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear, and the records do not show why any sentence was above or below the range.
Fort Lee, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Norfolk are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Virginia East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (35). 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 Virginia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Virginia, 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.