18 U.S.C. 115, Influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a Federal official by threatening or injuring a family member: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 36 of the 368 federal defendants (10%) whose most serious charge at the end of the case was under 18 U.S.C. 115 went to trial, and 11 of those 36 trials (31%) ended in an acquittal. Most others pleaded guilty: 256 (70%). Among the 281 convicted, 253 (90%) received a pri
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › 18 U.S.C. 115
In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 36 of the 368 federal defendants (10%) whose most serious charge at the end of the case was under 18 U.S.C. 115 went to trial, and 11 of those 36 trials (31%) ended in an acquittal. Most others pleaded guilty: 256 (70%). Among the 281 convicted, 253 (90%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 25.5 months (2.1 years).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 368 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The series also draws on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 659,036 people sentenced 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.
Trials Under Section 115
Title 18, section 115 of the U.S. Code is headed "Influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a Federal official by threatening or injuring a family member". The Federal Judicial Center records show 368 defendants whose cases ended with this section as the most serious charge.
Of the 36 trials, 31 were jury trials and 5 were bench trials, decided by a judge. Juries acquitted in 7 of 31 (23%). Judges acquitted in 4 of the 5 bench trials.
The trial numbers are small. In each fiscal year, between 2 and 6 cases went to trial, so yearly acquittal counts such as 3 of 4 in 2021 rest on very few cases.
Pleas, Dismissals, and Convictions
The FJC count includes every defendant whose case ended, including dismissals and acquittals. Of the 368, 256 pleaded guilty and 76 (21%) had their cases dismissed.
A dismissal can include charges dropped on the government's motion. One example is a dismissal after a defendant pleaded guilty in another case.
Combining pleas and trial verdicts, 281 of the 368 (76%) were convicted.
Level of the Charge and Prison Terms
Nearly all charges under this section were felonies: 351 (95%). The other 17 (5%) were Class A misdemeanors. No petty offenses were recorded.
Of the 281 convicted, 253 received a prison term on this charge. The median term was 25.5 months (2.1 years). That figure includes only those with a term of 1 month or more.
Yearly Counts
Between 28 and 44 cases ended in each fiscal year. The guilty plea rate was 61% in 2016 and 86% in 2022, the highest year in the table. In 2024 and 2025 it was 73%.
The records show these changes but not the reasons for them.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 28 | 61% | 29% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
| 2017 | 36 | 56% | 36% | 3 | 1 (1 of 3) |
| 2018 | 31 | 58% | 23% | 6 | 1 (1 of 6) |
| 2019 | 37 | 68% | 24% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
| 2020 | 35 | 69% | 17% | 5 | 2 (2 of 5) |
| 2021 | 38 | 71% | 18% | 4 | 3 (3 of 4) |
| 2022 | 37 | 86% | 8% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2023 | 38 | 76% | 16% | 3 | 2 (2 of 3) |
| 2024 | 44 | 73% | 18% | 4 | 2 (2 of 4) |
| 2025 | 44 | 73% | 20% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
How Did Results Differ by Counsel?
Federal public or community defenders represented 217 defendants (59%), with a guilty plea rate of 71% and a dismissal rate of 23%. Their 13 trials included 5 acquittals (38%).
CJA panel attorneys represented 106 defendants (29%), with guilty pleas in 66% of cases. They had 19 trials and 5 acquittals (26%). Retained private counsel represented 37 defendants (10%), with guilty pleas in 81% and 1 acquittal in 4 trials. Only 1 defendant was self-represented, and that case was dismissed.
Counsel type is the one recorded when the case ended. Retained and appointed lawyers handle groups of defendants who face different charges and circumstances. The differences above describe those groups of cases, not the quality of any lawyer.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 217 | 71% | 23% | 13 | 5 (38%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 106 | 66% | 16% | 19 | 5 (26%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 37 | 81% | 8% | 4 | 1 (1 of 4) |
| Self-represented | 1 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 | 0 | 0 |
Limits on What This Shows
These records do not describe the facts of a case, who was involved, or what evidence was offered. They count only the most serious charge at the end of the case.
The approved crosswalk lists no close court-martial counterpart for this section, so the post gives federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Every federal defendant whose case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 and whose most serious charge at the end of the case (TTITLE1) was under 18 U.S.C. 115, any subsection (368), Federal Judicial Center, counted as in the federal courts' Table D-4. Type of counsel is TCOUNSEL; labels from the FJC criminal codebook. Section heading from the U.S. Code as published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (release point 119-136).
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
Who is in each set of numbers. The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.
How "plea" and "trial" are counted. In the federal sentencing numbers, "trial" means the person was convicted after a trial, including people who pleaded guilty to some counts and went to trial on others. People acquitted at trial are not in these numbers at all (see "Who is in each set of numbers"). In the federal case data, the trial rate counts both convictions and acquittals at trial among all defendants whose cases ended, including dismissed cases. Military numbers count contested cases that reached a verdict. These denominators are not the same, and each post states the one it uses.
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.
Type of counsel describes groups of cases, not lawyers. The Federal Judicial Center records the type of counsel at the end of the case. Defendants who hire a lawyer differ from defendants who receive an appointed lawyer in their charges, criminal history, and circumstances, and some defendants change lawyers during a case. Differences in outcomes by type of counsel therefore cannot be credited to the type of lawyer.
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)
- 18 U.S.C. 111, Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 113, Assaults within maritime and territorial jurisdiction: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 117, Domestic assault by an habitual offender: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 152, Concealment of assets; false oaths and claims; bribery: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- Appointed vs. Retained Lawyers in Federal Criminal Cases: How Cases Ended, 2016–2025
- Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?
- 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.