18 U.S.C. 1519, Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
For 18 U.S.C. 1519, 85 of 326 federal defendants (26%) went to trial in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 21 of those trials ended in an acquittal (25%). Most defendants, 199 (61%), pleaded guilty. Of the 263 convicted, 190 (72%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 24 months.
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In brief: For 18 U.S.C. 1519, 85 of 326 federal defendants (26%) went to trial in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 21 of those trials ended in an acquittal (25%). Most defendants, 199 (61%), pleaded guilty. Of the 263 convicted, 190 (72%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 24 months.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 326 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.
How Many Cases Went to Trial?
A trial was held for 85 defendants, which is 26% of the 326 whose cases ended. Juries decided 81 of those trials and acquitted in 21 (26%). Judges sitting without a jury decided 4 and acquitted in none of them.
Every acquittal recorded under this section came from a jury. The acquittal rate counts trials only. Defendants who pleaded guilty or whose charges were dismissed are not part of it.
The Heading and the Source
Title 18, section 1519 of the U.S. Code carries the heading "Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy." The figures here count federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under that section, any subsection.
The counts come from the Federal Judicial Center and follow the federal courts' Table D-4. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Unlike sentencing data, these records include defendants whose cases ended in a dismissal or an acquittal.
Pleas and Dismissals
Guilty pleas ended 199 cases (61%). Charges were dismissed for 42 defendants (13%).
A dismissal in these records can come on the government's motion, including after the defendant pleaded guilty in a separate case. So a dismissal here does not always mean the person had no conviction anywhere.
Counting both pleas and trial verdicts, 263 of the 326 defendants (81%) were convicted.
Felony Charges and Prison Terms
All 326 charges were recorded at the felony level (100%). No case under this section was a Class A misdemeanor or a petty offense.
Of the 263 people convicted, 190 (72%) were sentenced to a prison term on this charge. Among terms of 1 month or more, the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A median is the middle term when all terms are put in order. It does not show the shortest or the longest term.
Type of Counsel at the End of the Case
Private (retained) counsel represented 199 defendants (61%). CJA panel attorneys, who are private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 70 (21%). Federal public or community defenders represented 48 (15%).
The retained group had the most trials, 61, with 18 acquittals (30%). The CJA panel group had 13 trials and 1 acquittal (8%), and 20% of its cases were dismissed. The federal defender group had the highest guilty-plea share, 75%, and 11 trials with 2 acquittals (18%).
These figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. People who hire a lawyer and people who receive an appointed one often face different charges and circumstances. Counsel type is recorded as of 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 | 48 | 75% | 2% | 11 | 2 (18%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 70 | 61% | 20% | 13 | 1 (8%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 199 | 60% | 10% | 61 | 18 (30%) |
Year by Year
Between 23 and 43 cases ended each fiscal year. The fewest trials were in fiscal year 2021, with 2, and the most were in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, with 12 each. Fiscal year 2023 had 5 acquittals in 12 trials (42%), while fiscal year 2020 had none in 8.
Guilty-plea shares ranged from 41% in fiscal year 2022 to 78% in fiscal year 2021. With yearly counts this small, a few cases can move a percentage, and the table does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 37 | 59% | 16% | 9 | 2 (2 of 9) |
| 2017 | 32 | 50% | 9% | 13 | 3 (23%) |
| 2018 | 31 | 77% | 6% | 5 | 1 (1 of 5) |
| 2019 | 40 | 58% | 23% | 8 | 2 (2 of 8) |
| 2020 | 26 | 62% | 8% | 8 | 0 (0 of 8) |
| 2021 | 23 | 78% | 13% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2022 | 27 | 41% | 15% | 12 | 4 (33%) |
| 2023 | 43 | 56% | 16% | 12 | 5 (42%) |
| 2024 | 36 | 64% | 11% | 9 | 3 (3 of 9) |
| 2025 | 31 | 71% | 6% | 7 | 1 (1 of 7) |
Court-Martial Link and Limits
The approved crosswalk pairs this section with obstruction of justice under Article 131b. Separate comparison posts set the federal and court-martial numbers side by side.
These records list charges and results only. They do not include the evidence, the facts of any case, or the reasons a case was dismissed or a jury acquitted.
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. 1519, any subsection (326), 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)
- Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences (comparison with courts-martial)
- 18 U.S.C. 1512, Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1513, Retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1542, False statement in application and use of passport: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1543, Forgery or false use of passport: 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?
- How Has Article 131b Changed in Army Courts-Martial Since 2021? (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 131b Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- Air Force Article 131b Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 131b, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 131b Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 131b UCMJ: Obstructing Justice (law firm reference page)
- 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.