18 U.S.C. 1951, Interference with commerce by threats or violence: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Nearly every federal defendant convicted under 18 U.S.C. 1951 received a prison term on that charge: 4,579 of 4,737 (97%), with a median of 78 months (6.5 years). Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 4,881 defendants had a case end with this section as the most serious charge, and 91% of them pleaded gui
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In brief: Nearly every federal defendant convicted under 18 U.S.C. 1951 received a prison term on that charge: 4,579 of 4,737 (97%), with a median of 78 months (6.5 years). Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 4,881 defendants had a case end with this section as the most serious charge, and 91% of them pleaded guilty. Of the 305 who went to trial, 24 were acquitted (8%).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 4,881 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.
Prison Terms After Conviction
The conviction count, 4,737, combines guilty pleas and guilty verdicts at trial. It equals 97% of all 4,881 defendants in the period.
Among those convicted, 4,579 (97%) were sentenced to prison on this charge. For terms of 1 month or more, the median prison term was 78 months, or 6.5 years. 3 defendants received life.
A median is the middle value when all the terms are ranked from shortest to longest. The figure reflects the sentence on this section only, not on any other count in the same case.
What the Section Is
The U.S. Code heads this section "Interference with commerce by threats or violence". The post describes it only by that heading.
Every one of the 4,881 cases was charged as a felony. No Class A misdemeanor and no petty offense appears under this section in the records.
The approved crosswalk places this statute in the pairing for robbery (Article 122). Separate comparison posts set the federal numbers next to courts-martial. This post covers federal court alone.
Guilty Pleas, Dismissals, and Trials
Of the 4,881 defendants, 4,456 (91%) pleaded guilty. Another 120 (2%) had the charges dismissed, and 305 (6%) went to trial.
The Federal Judicial Center counts every defendant whose case ended, so dismissals and acquittals are part of the total. A dismissal can come on the government's motion, for example when the defendant pleaded guilty in a different case.
Juries heard 293 of the trials and acquitted 22 defendants (8%). Judges heard 12 bench trials and acquitted 2 (17%). With only 12 bench trials, that rate rests on very few cases.
Year-by-Year Counts
Between 413 and 575 cases ended in each fiscal year. The guilty plea rate stayed between 89% and 92% across the decade.
Acquittals at trial were more common early in the period. Fiscal year 2016 had 6 acquittals in 24 trials (25%), while fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022 each recorded 0. The records cannot show why the yearly rates moved.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 502 | 92% | 3% | 24 | 6 (25%) |
| 2017 | 480 | 91% | 2% | 31 | 6 (19%) |
| 2018 | 521 | 92% | 3% | 25 | 5 (20%) |
| 2019 | 575 | 92% | 2% | 35 | 2 (6%) |
| 2020 | 446 | 92% | 3% | 21 | 0 (0%) |
| 2021 | 430 | 90% | 3% | 28 | 0 (0%) |
| 2022 | 502 | 91% | 3% | 28 | 0 (0%) |
| 2023 | 548 | 91% | 1% | 41 | 1 (2%) |
| 2024 | 464 | 89% | 2% | 41 | 3 (7%) |
| 2025 | 413 | 91% | 2% | 31 | 1 (3%) |
Who Represented the Defendants?
A CJA panel attorney, a private lawyer appointed and paid through the court, represented 2,799 defendants (57%). Federal public or community defenders represented 1,474 (30%). Retained private counsel represented 583 (12%), and 9 defendants represented themselves.
The guilty plea rate was 95% with a federal defender, 91% with a CJA panel attorney, and 88% with retained counsel. Trials numbered 202 in the CJA group with 11 acquittals (5%), 51 with retained counsel and 8 acquittals (16%), and 49 with a federal defender and 5 acquittals (10%). Of the 9 self-represented defendants, 3 went to trial and none was acquitted.
Counsel type is the one recorded when the case ended. People who retain a lawyer and people who receive an appointed one face different charges and circumstances. The differences describe 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 | 1,474 | 95% | 2% | 49 | 5 (10%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 2,799 | 91% | 2% | 202 | 11 (5%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 583 | 88% | 4% | 51 | 8 (16%) |
| Self-represented | 9 | 6 of 9 | 0 of 9 | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
Limits of the Records
These counts show how cases ended and what prison terms followed on this charge. They do not show the facts of any case, the evidence at trial, or why a prosecutor dismissed a charge 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. 1951, any subsection (4,881), 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. 1832, Theft of trade secrets: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1920, False statement or fraud to obtain Federal employees’ compensation: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1952, Interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 1955, Prohibition of illegal gambling businesses: 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.