18 U.S.C. 1344, Bank fraud: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
A prison term followed 2,532 of 2,691 convictions (94%) under 18 U.S.C. 1344 in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median term was 24 months (2 years). Of all 2,882 defendants, 2,616 (91%) pleaded guilty. Trials were uncommon: 80, with 5 acquittals.
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In brief: A prison term followed 2,532 of 2,691 convictions (94%) under 18 U.S.C. 1344 in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median term was 24 months (2 years). Of all 2,882 defendants, 2,616 (91%) pleaded guilty. Trials were uncommon: 80, with 5 acquittals.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 2,882 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.
Most Convictions Led to Prison
The heading of this section in the U.S. Code is "Bank fraud". The post identifies the statute by that heading only.
Conviction was recorded for 2,691 of 2,882 defendants (93%). Of those convicted, 2,532 (94%) received a prison term on this charge.
Counting terms of 1 month or more, the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). When the terms are put in order from shortest to longest, the median is the one in the middle. Prison time on other counts is not part of this figure.
Guilty Pleas Ended Most Cases
Of the 2,882 cases, 2,616 (91%) ended with a guilty plea, 186 (6%) were dismissed, and 80 (3%) went to trial. All were felony charges at the end of the case.
A dismissed case is not always one that ended without a conviction. Under the Federal Judicial Center definition, dismissals include charges dismissed on the government's motion, for example after a defendant pleaded guilty in another case.
What Happened at Trial
Juries heard 76 of the 80 trials and acquitted in 4 (5%). Judges decided 4 bench trials and acquitted in 1. Overall, 5 of 80 trials (6%) ended in an acquittal.
The conviction count of 2,691 covers both guilty pleas and guilty verdicts. It is drawn from every defendant whose case ended, not only those who were sentenced.
Representation by Counsel Type
CJA panel attorneys represented 1,026 defendants (36%). A CJA panel attorney is a private lawyer appointed by the court. Private (retained) counsel represented 983 (34%), and federal public or community defenders represented 779 (27%). The records list 3 defendants as self-represented.
Guilty plea rates were 93% for CJA panel attorneys, 94% for retained counsel, and 95% for federal defenders. CJA panel attorneys had 40 trials and 4 acquittals (10%). Retained counsel had 30 trials and 0 acquittals. Federal defenders had 10 trials and 1 acquittal.
Any gap between these groups describes the cases in each group. It is not a measure of the quality of lawyers. Counsel type is recorded at the end of the case, and defendants who retain a lawyer and those who are appointed one face different charges and circumstances.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 779 | 95% | 4% | 10 | 1 (10%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 1,026 | 93% | 3% | 40 | 4 (10%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 983 | 94% | 3% | 30 | 0 (0%) |
| Self-represented | 3 | 3 of 3 | 0 of 3 | 0 | 0 |
Fiscal Years 2016 to 2025
Cases ending under this section ranged from 220 in fiscal year 2020 to 332 in fiscal year 2018. In fiscal year 2020, 95% ended in a guilty plea and 2 went to trial.
Fiscal year 2018 had the most trials, 17, with 2 acquittals. From fiscal year 2023 through 2025, no trial under this section ended in an acquittal. Yearly trial counts are small, so the table shows each year rather than a trend.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 330 | 88% | 8% | 14 | 2 (14%) |
| 2017 | 297 | 90% | 7% | 8 | 0 (0 of 8) |
| 2018 | 332 | 88% | 7% | 17 | 2 (12%) |
| 2019 | 297 | 89% | 7% | 10 | 0 (0%) |
| 2020 | 220 | 95% | 4% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2021 | 261 | 93% | 5% | 6 | 0 (0 of 6) |
| 2022 | 303 | 91% | 6% | 8 | 1 (1 of 8) |
| 2023 | 289 | 93% | 6% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2024 | 307 | 92% | 6% | 6 | 0 (0 of 6) |
| 2025 | 246 | 91% | 6% | 7 | 0 (0 of 7) |
Gaps in the Record
The approved crosswalk does not pair this statute with a close court-martial offense, so no military numbers appear here.
Each defendant is counted under the most serious charge at the end of the case. The records hold no case facts, loss amounts, or trial evidence, and they cannot explain the reasons for any plea, dismissal, or acquittal.
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. 1344, any subsection (2,882), 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. 1341, Frauds and swindles: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1343, Fraud by wire, radio, or television: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1347, Health care fraud: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1348, Securities and commodities fraud: 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.