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# 18 U.S.C. 1708, Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter generally: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1708-case-outcomes/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:55:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:55:21.000Z
- Description: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,643 federal defendants had cases end with a most serious charge under 18 U.S.C. 1708. 1,522 (93%) pleaded guilty, 111 (7%) had their cases dismissed, and 10 went to trial, 2 of which ended in an acquittal. 1,075 of the 1,530 convicted (70%) received a prison term on t
- 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. 1708

**In brief:** In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,643 federal defendants had cases end with a most serious charge under 18 U.S.C. 1708\. 1,522 (93%) pleaded guilty, 111 (7%) had their cases dismissed, and 10 went to trial, 2 of which ended in an acquittal. 1,075 of the 1,530 convicted (70%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 15 months.

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 1,643 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/).

## The Section and the Count

The U.S. Code heading for this section reads "Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter generally". The post does not describe the section beyond that heading.

The count covers every federal defendant whose case ended in these fiscal years with section 1708 as the most serious charge at the end of the case. That gives 1,643 defendants, counted as in the federal courts' Table D-4\. Dismissals and acquittals are included.

## Guilty Pleas Ended Most Cases

1,522 defendants (93%) pleaded guilty. 111 (7%) had their charges dismissed. A dismissal in these records can come on the government's motion, for example after the defendant pleaded guilty in another case.

Adding trial convictions to pleas, 1,530 of the 1,643 (93%) were convicted.

The guilty plea share was between 90% and 95% in every fiscal year from 2016 to 2025\. The number of cases ending each year ranged from 126 in 2025 to 213 in 2019.

| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| ----------- | ----------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| 2016        | 158         | 91%            | 8%        | 3      | 0 (0 of 3)         |
| 2017        | 189         | 91%            | 8%        | 2      | 1 (1 of 2)         |
| 2018        | 190         | 94%            | 5%        | 1      | 0 (0 of 1)         |
| 2019        | 213         | 92%            | 8%        | 1      | 1 (1 of 1)         |
| 2020        | 169         | 95%            | 5%        | 0      | 0                  |
| 2021        | 147         | 95%            | 5%        | 0      | 0                  |
| 2022        | 161         | 94%            | 5%        | 1      | 0 (0 of 1)         |
| 2023        | 149         | 91%            | 9%        | 0      | 0                  |
| 2024        | 141         | 90%            | 9%        | 1      | 0 (0 of 1)         |
| 2025        | 126         | 94%            | 5%        | 1      | 0 (0 of 1)         |

## How Did the 10 Trials End?

10 defendants went to trial, less than 1% of the total. 2 of the 10 trials (20%) ended in an acquittal.

Juries decided 8 trials, and 2 of those 8 ended in an acquittal. Judges decided the other 2 in bench trials, and neither ended in an acquittal.

The acquittals came in 2017 and 2019\. With only 10 trials over 10 years, the 20% figure rests on 2 verdicts and would change with 1 more verdict.

## Felony Level and Prison Terms

All 1,643 charges were recorded at the felony level. None was a Class A misdemeanor or a petty offense.

Of the 1,530 convicted, 1,075 (70%) received a prison term on the section 1708 charge. The median term for those sentenced to 1 month or more was 15 months. A median is the value in the middle of the list of terms.

Only the term on this charge is counted. Any time imposed on other charges in the same case falls outside these figures.

## Who Represented the Defendants?

The records list the type of counsel at the end of the case. Defendants who retain a lawyer and those who receive an appointed one face different charges and circumstances, so these figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers.

Federal public or community defenders represented 876 defendants (53%). 93% pleaded guilty and 6% were dismissed. 4 went to trial, and 1 of the 4 was acquitted.

A CJA panel attorney, which is a private lawyer appointed by the court, represented 602 defendants (37%). 94% pleaded guilty and 5% were dismissed. 5 went to trial, and 1 of the 5 was acquitted.

Private (retained) counsel represented 146 defendants (9%). 95% pleaded guilty and 4% were dismissed. 1 went to trial and was not acquitted. The plea and dismissal rates are close across the groups, and none of the rows is a measure of how well lawyers performed.

| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| Federal public or community defender   | 876        | 93%            | 6%        | 4      | 1 (1 of 4)         |
| CJA panel attorney                     | 602        | 94%            | 5%        | 5      | 1 (1 of 5)         |
| Private (retained) counsel             | 146        | 95%            | 4%        | 1      | 0 (0 of 1)         |

## Limits of the Records

Grouping by the most serious charge at the end of the case means a defendant charged under section 1708 early on but finally convicted under another section is not in this count.

The records do not describe the facts, the evidence, or the reasons for any plea, dismissal, or verdict. The approved crosswalk lists no close court-martial counterpart for section 1708, so this post covers federal cases 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. 1708, any subsection (1,643), 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. 1703, Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1703-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 1704, Keys or locks stolen or reproduced: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1704-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 1709, Theft of mail matter by officer or employee: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1709-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 1711, Misappropriation of postal funds: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1711-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.