18 U.S.C. 2421, Transportation generally: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Nearly every conviction under 18 U.S.C. 2421 led to prison: 283 of 293 convicted defendants (97%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 51 months (4.2 years). Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 311 defendants had a case end under this section, and 289 (93%) pleaded guilty. Only 4 went
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In brief: Nearly every conviction under 18 U.S.C. 2421 led to prison: 283 of 293 convicted defendants (97%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 51 months (4.2 years). Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 311 defendants had a case end under this section, and 289 (93%) pleaded guilty. Only 4 went to trial, and none was acquitted.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 311 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 Were Close to Universal
Of the 311 defendants, 293 (94%) were convicted by plea or at trial. Among the convicted, 283 (97%) were sentenced to prison on this charge.
Where the term was 1 month or more, the median was 51 months. That is about 4.2 years.
Only the term on this charge is counted. Prison time on other counts in the same case falls outside these figures.
The Official Heading
In the U.S. Code, section 2421 of Title 18 is headed "Transportation generally". That heading is the only description of the section used in this post.
Every one of the 311 cases was charged at the felony level. The records list no Class A misdemeanor and no petty offense.
A defendant is included when this section was the most serious charge at the end of the case. The method is the one used in the federal courts' Table D-4, and it counts dismissals and acquittals as well as convictions.
Pleas, Dismissals, and 4 Trials
Guilty pleas ended 289 cases (93%). Dismissals ended 18 (6%). Trials ended 4 (1%).
All 4 trials were jury trials, and none ended in an acquittal (0 of 4). No bench trial is recorded. A count this small cannot support an acquittal rate.
In these records, dismissed means the charges were dismissed. That includes cases dismissed on the government's motion, for example after the defendant pleaded guilty in another case.
Cases per Fiscal Year
More cases ended under this section early in the period than later. Fiscal year 2016 had 56, and fiscal year 2025 had 18. The records do not show why the number fell.
The guilty plea rate was 84% or higher in every year. Fiscal year 2023 had the lowest rate, 84%, and the highest dismissal rate, 16%. In fiscal year 2025, all 18 cases ended in a guilty plea (100%).
Each of the 4 trials took place in fiscal years 2016 to 2018.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 56 | 93% | 5% | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| 2017 | 43 | 93% | 5% | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| 2018 | 47 | 89% | 6% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2019 | 41 | 98% | 2% | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 21 | 90% | 10% | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 20 | 90% | 10% | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 22 | 95% | 5% | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 19 | 84% | 16% | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 24 | 96% | 4% | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 18 | 100% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
Who Represented the Defendants?
CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 136 defendants (44%). Federal public or community defenders represented 132 (42%). Retained private counsel represented 39 (13%).
Guilty plea rates were close across the groups: 96% with a CJA panel attorney, 95% with retained counsel, and 92% with a federal defender. Dismissal rates were 3%, 5%, and 6%. The 4 trials were split evenly, 2 with each type of appointed counsel, and none with retained counsel.
These numbers describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. Defendants who retain a lawyer and those who receive an appointed one 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 | 132 | 92% | 6% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| CJA panel attorney | 136 | 96% | 3% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 39 | 95% | 5% | 0 | 0 |
What These Records Leave Out
The data counts outcomes and sentences. It does not describe any defendant's conduct, the evidence, or the reasons a case was dismissed.
The approved crosswalk lists no close court-martial counterpart for this section. The post reports the federal figures alone.
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. 2421, any subsection (311), 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. 2314, Transportation of stolen goods, securities, moneys, fraudulent State tax stamps, or articles used in counterfeiting: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2320, Trafficking in counterfeit goods or services: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2422, Coercion and enticement: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 2423, Transportation of minors: 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.