18 U.S.C. 2241, Aggravated sexual abuse: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Trials were common under 18 U.S.C. 2241: of 596 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 171 (29%) went to trial, and 43 of those trials (25%) ended in an acquittal. Another 161 (27%) had their cases dismissed, and 264 (44%) pleaded guilty. Of the 392 convicted, 379 received a pris
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In brief: Trials were common under 18 U.S.C. 2241: of 596 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 171 (29%) went to trial, and 43 of those trials (25%) ended in an acquittal. Another 161 (27%) had their cases dismissed, and 264 (44%) pleaded guilty. Of the 392 convicted, 379 received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 240 months (20 years), and 72 received life.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 596 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.
A Section Where Many Cases Went to Trial
In the U.S. Code, Title 18, section 2241 is headed "Aggravated sexual abuse". The Federal Judicial Center counts used in this post cover every defendant whose case ended with this section as the most serious charge.
Of the 596 defendants, 171 went to trial. That is 29%. Guilty pleas ended 264 cases, or 44%. A trial in these records is a contested case that reached a verdict.
Juries decided 159 of the trials and acquitted in 38 of them (24%). Judges decided 12 bench trials and acquitted in 5 (42%). In total, 43 of the 171 trials ended in an acquittal.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 64 | 47% | 20% | 21 | 5 (24%) |
| 2017 | 54 | 52% | 28% | 11 | 4 (36%) |
| 2018 | 46 | 39% | 33% | 13 | 7 (54%) |
| 2019 | 57 | 49% | 18% | 19 | 4 (21%) |
| 2020 | 54 | 48% | 24% | 15 | 3 (20%) |
| 2021 | 46 | 41% | 37% | 10 | 4 (40%) |
| 2022 | 90 | 33% | 40% | 24 | 4 (17%) |
| 2023 | 67 | 43% | 24% | 22 | 4 (18%) |
| 2024 | 67 | 43% | 21% | 24 | 4 (17%) |
| 2025 | 51 | 53% | 24% | 12 | 4 (33%) |
Dismissals
Charges were dismissed for 161 defendants, which is 27% of the group. In these records, dismissed means the charges were dismissed, including dismissals on the government's motion. For example, a case may be dismissed after the defendant pleaded guilty in another case.
A dismissal is not the same as an acquittal. The records do not say why any case was dismissed or whether the defendant faced other charges elsewhere.
What Were the Prison Terms?
In all, 392 defendants were convicted (66%), by plea or at trial. Of those, 379 (97%) received a prison term on this charge.
For defendants with a term of 1 month or more, the median was 240 months, which is 20 years. Separately, 72 defendants received life. The median is the middle term once all terms are in order, and it does not show the full range.
Every defendant counted faced a felony on this charge. The records list 0 Class A misdemeanors and 0 petty offenses.
Fiscal Year Counts
The number of cases ending each fiscal year ranged from 46 (in 2018 and 2021) to 90 (in 2022). Fiscal year 2022 also had the highest dismissal share, at 40%, and the lowest guilty plea share, at 33%.
Yearly acquittal shares ranged from 17% to 54%. Each year had between 10 and 24 trials, so a few verdicts can change a year's share by a large amount. The table reports each year as recorded and is not a trend line.
Type of Counsel
Federal public or community defenders represented 294 defendants (49%). CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 207 (35%). Retained private counsel represented 74 (12%).
Defendants with retained counsel pleaded guilty less often, at 28%, compared with 49% for public or community defenders and 47% for CJA panel attorneys. Retained counsel had 34 trials, with 10 acquittals (29%). Public or community defenders had 74 trials, with 20 acquittals (27%). CJA panel attorneys had 62 trials, with 13 acquittals (21%).
These numbers 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. Counsel type 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 | 294 | 49% | 26% | 74 | 20 (27%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 207 | 47% | 23% | 62 | 13 (21%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 74 | 28% | 26% | 34 | 10 (29%) |
Court-Martial Comparison and Limits
This section is part of the approved pairing for sexual abuse of an adult, which matches it with Article 120 rape, sexual assault, and abusive sexual contact. The comparison posts set the federal and court-martial numbers side by side. This post reports the federal numbers only.
The records sort defendants by the most serious charge at the end of the case. They do not show the facts, the evidence, or the reasons for any plea, dismissal, or verdict.
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. 2241, any subsection (596), 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)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial (comparison with courts-martial)
- 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)
- 18 U.S.C. 2242, Sexual abuse: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2243, Sexual abuse of a minor, a ward, or an individual in Federal custody: 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?
- Fewer or More? Sexual Assault Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Fighting an Army Sexual Assault Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- Is Air Force Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 120 UCMJ Explained by a Former Special Victim Prosecutor (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.