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# 18 U.S.C. 1347, Health care fraud: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1347-case-outcomes/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:55:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:55:21.000Z
- Description: Of 1,725 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 1347 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,273 (74%) pleaded guilty, 234 (14%) had the charges dismissed, and 218 (13%) went to trial. Trials ended in an acquittal 42 times (19%). Among the 1,449 convicted, 1,093 (75%) received a prison term on
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › 18 U.S.C. 1347

**In brief:** Of 1,725 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 1347 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,273 (74%) pleaded guilty, 234 (14%) had the charges dismissed, and 218 (13%) went to trial. Trials ended in an acquittal 42 times (19%). Among the 1,449 convicted, 1,093 (75%) received a prison term on this charge, and the median term was 30 months (2.5 years).

Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 1,725 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](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/).

## What Section 1347 Covers in These Records

The U.S. Code gives this section the heading "Health care fraud". The count here includes each defendant whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under this section, in any subsection.

The Federal Judicial Center counts every defendant whose case ended, not only those who were sentenced. Dismissals and acquittals are part of the total of 1,725.

Every one of these charges was recorded as a felony: 1,725 (100%). The records list no Class A misdemeanors and no petty offenses under this section.

## How Did the Trials End?

Of the 218 trials, 199 were jury trials and 19 were bench trials, which a judge decides without a jury.

Juries acquitted in 30 trials (15%). Judges acquitted in 12 of the bench trials (63%).

The bench trial group is small, so its rate can change a great deal with a few verdicts. The records do not say why a defendant chose a judge instead of a jury, or what evidence either kind of trial heard.

## Guilty Pleas, Dismissals, and Convictions

Pleading guilty was the most common result: 1,273 defendants (74%). In total, 1,449 of the 1,725 (84%) were convicted, either by plea or by a guilty verdict at trial.

A dismissal in these records means the charges were dismissed. That includes dismissals on the government's motion, for example after a defendant pleaded guilty in a different case. A dismissal therefore does not always mean the person faced no federal conviction at all.

## Prison Terms on This Charge

A prison term on the 1347 charge was imposed on 1,093 of the 1,449 convicted defendants (75%). The rest were convicted without a prison term on that charge.

Among defendants with a term of 1 month or more, the median was 30 months (2.5 years). The median is the middle term when all terms are put in order by length, so it is not pulled up or down by a few very long or very short terms.

## Type of Counsel at the End of the Case

Private (retained) counsel represented 1,028 defendants (60%). CJA panel attorneys, who are private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 356 (21%). Federal public or community defenders represented 269 (16%), and 6 defendants represented themselves.

Plea rates were 78% for retained counsel, 70% for CJA panel attorneys, and 80% for federal defenders. Dismissal rates were 8%, 13%, and 13%. Trials numbered 141 for retained counsel with 33 acquittals (23%), 59 for CJA panel attorneys with 4 acquittals (7%), and 18 for federal defenders with 5 acquittals (28%).

These numbers describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. People who hire a lawyer and people who receive an appointed lawyer face different charges and circumstances, and the type of counsel is recorded only at the end of the case.

| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| Federal public or community defender   | 269        | 80%            | 13%       | 18     | 5 (28%)            |
| CJA panel attorney                     | 356        | 70%            | 13%       | 59     | 4 (7%)             |
| Private (retained) counsel             | 1,028      | 78%            | 8%        | 141    | 33 (23%)           |
| Self-represented                       | 6          | 3 of 6         | 3 of 6    | 0      | 0                  |

## Year by Year

The number of cases ending each year ranged from 140 in fiscal year 2021 to 211 in fiscal year 2017\. The plea rate was lowest in fiscal year 2024, at 67%, and highest in fiscal year 2016, at 80%.

Trial acquittals in a single year were in single digits, from 1 to 7\. Yearly rates built on 13 to 29 trials can move a great deal from one year to the next, and the records do not explain those moves.

| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| ----------- | ----------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| 2016        | 205         | 80%            | 8%        | 25     | 4 (16%)            |
| 2017        | 211         | 76%            | 10%       | 29     | 2 (7%)             |
| 2018        | 176         | 73%            | 14%       | 22     | 1 (5%)             |
| 2019        | 200         | 72%            | 18%       | 20     | 2 (10%)            |
| 2020        | 155         | 74%            | 14%       | 19     | 5 (26%)            |
| 2021        | 140         | 73%            | 18%       | 13     | 3 (23%)            |
| 2022        | 181         | 73%            | 15%       | 21     | 7 (33%)            |
| 2023        | 155         | 70%            | 13%       | 26     | 7 (27%)            |
| 2024        | 155         | 67%            | 17%       | 24     | 7 (29%)            |
| 2025        | 147         | 77%            | 10%       | 19     | 4 (21%)            |

## What the Records Cannot Show

The data does not describe the conduct behind any case, the amount of any loss, or the strength of the evidence. It counts only the most serious charge at the end of the case.

The approved crosswalk has no close court-martial counterpart for this section, so the post reports federal numbers only.

### 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. 1347, any subsection (1,725), 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](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)
- [18 U.S.C. 1343, Fraud by wire, radio, or television: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1343-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 1344, Bank fraud: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1344-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 1348, Securities and commodities fraud: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1348-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 1349, Attempt and conspiracy: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1349-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [Appointed vs. Retained Lawyers in Federal Criminal Cases: How Cases Ended, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-appointed-vs-retained-counsel-outcomes/)
- [Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rates-vs-courts-martial/)
- [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.