18 U.S.C. 2118, Robberies and burglaries involving controlled substances: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Almost all of the 162 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 2118 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 pleaded guilty: 159, or 98%. Of those 159 convicted, 149 (94%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 40.5 months (3.4 years). Only 1 case went to trial, and it ended
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In brief: Almost all of the 162 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 2118 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 pleaded guilty: 159, or 98%. Of those 159 convicted, 149 (94%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 40.5 months (3.4 years). Only 1 case went to trial, and it ended in an acquittal.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 162 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 Followed Most Convictions
The U.S. Code heading for Title 18, section 2118 reads "Robberies and burglaries involving controlled substances". The counts here use the Federal Judicial Center's records of cases that ended, sorted by the most serious charge left at the end of each case.
Of the 159 defendants convicted under this section, 149 were sentenced to prison on that charge. That is 94%. The median prison term among defendants with a term of 1 month or more was 40.5 months, which equals 3.4 years.
A median is the middle value once every term is lined up from shortest to longest. These records do not list the shortest or the longest terms.
Every Charge Was a Felony
All 162 defendants faced a felony on this charge. The records show 0 Class A misdemeanors and 0 petty offenses under this section.
This means every conviction counted here was a felony conviction on the section 2118 charge.
How Did These Cases End?
A guilty plea ended 159 of the 162 cases. Another 2 defendants (1%) had their cases dismissed. Just 1 defendant went to trial, which is less than 1% of the group.
Dismissed has a specific meaning in these records. It covers any case where the charges were dismissed, including dismissals on the government's motion, such as after the defendant pleaded guilty in a different case. A dismissal is not a finding of not guilty.
The Federal Judicial Center counts every defendant whose case ended. That includes dismissals and acquittals, not only defendants who were sentenced.
The Single Trial
The only trial under this section was a jury trial in fiscal year 2025. The jury acquitted the defendant. No bench trials, which are decided by a judge, appear in these records.
A single trial is too few to support an acquittal rate. It shows only that 1 contested case reached a verdict over the period and that it did not end in a conviction.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 18 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 of 5 | 0 of 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 21 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 16 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 23 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 18 | 94% | 6% | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 25 | 92% | 4% | 1 | 1 (1 of 1) |
Year by Year
The number of cases that ended each year was small, from 5 in fiscal year 2018 to 25 in fiscal year 2025. In most fiscal years, every case ended in a guilty plea. Fiscal year 2025 had the only trial.
With yearly counts this small, a change of 1 or 2 cases moves the percentages a great deal. The yearly table is a record of each year, not evidence of a trend.
Type of Counsel
A CJA panel attorney, a private lawyer appointed by the court, represented 105 defendants (65%). Federal public or community defenders represented 45 (28%). Retained private counsel represented 12 (7%).
The guilty plea rate was more than 99% for CJA panel attorneys, 98% for public or community defenders, and 92% for retained counsel. The single trial, and its acquittal, involved a public or community defender.
These figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. Defendants who hire a lawyer and those who receive an appointed lawyer face different charges and circumstances. The type of counsel is the one recorded 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 | 45 | 98% | 0% | 1 | 1 (1 of 1) |
| CJA panel attorney | 105 | more than 99% | less than 1% | 0 | 0 |
| Private (retained) counsel | 12 | 92% | 8% | 0 | 0 |
What the Counts Leave Out
The records sort defendants by the most serious charge at the end of the case. Someone first charged under section 2118 whose final charge was more serious would not appear here. The records also say nothing about the facts or evidence in any case.
The approved crosswalk has no close court-martial counterpart for this section. Only federal numbers are reported.
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. 2118, any subsection (162), 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. 2113, Bank robbery and incidental crimes: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2114, Mail, money, or other property of United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2119, Motor vehicles: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2237, Criminal sanctions for failure to heave to, obstruction of boarding, or providing false information: 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.