18 U.S.C. 2422, Coercion and enticement: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 2,188 federal defendants whose cases ended under 18 U.S.C. 2422 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 168 (8%) went to trial, and 4 of those trials (2%) ended in an acquittal. Most defendants, 1,929 (88%), pleaded guilty. Of the 2,093 convicted, 2,090 (more than 99%) received a prison term on this charge
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › 18 U.S.C. 2422
In brief: Of 2,188 federal defendants whose cases ended under 18 U.S.C. 2422 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 168 (8%) went to trial, and 4 of those trials (2%) ended in an acquittal. Most defendants, 1,929 (88%), pleaded guilty. Of the 2,093 convicted, 2,090 (more than 99%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 126 months (10.5 years).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 2,188 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.
Trial Verdicts Under Section 2422
Juries decided 155 of the 168 trials and acquitted in 4 (3%). Judges decided 13 bench trials, and none ended in an acquittal (0%).
Across all trials, 4 of 168 (2%) ended in an acquittal. The remaining trials ended in a conviction.
The yearly trial count ranged from 7 to 23. Acquittals were recorded in fiscal years 2016, 2021, and 2024, and in no other year.
The Section by Its Heading
Section 2422 of Title 18 carries the heading "Coercion and enticement". The post describes the section by that heading only.
All 2,188 defendants were charged at the felony level. No Class A misdemeanor or petty offense appears in the records for this section.
The Federal Judicial Center counts each defendant whose case ended, including dismissals and acquittals. A defendant is counted here when this section was the most serious charge at the end of the case, as in the federal courts' Table D-4.
Prison Terms and Life Sentences
Convictions, by plea or at trial, numbered 2,093, or 96% of all defendants. Of those convicted, 2,090 (more than 99%) received a prison term on this charge.
The median term, among those with a term of 1 month or more, was 126 months. That equals 10.5 years. Life sentences were recorded for 62 defendants.
These figures cover the term on this charge only, not any term on other counts in the same case.
Guilty Pleas and Dismissals by Year
Pleas of guilty resolved 1,929 cases (88%), and dismissals resolved 91 (4%). Dismissed here means the charges were dismissed, which includes a dismissal on the government's motion, for example after a guilty plea in another case.
The number of cases ending each year was higher at the end of the period than at the start. Fiscal year 2016 had 154, and fiscal year 2024 had 307. The guilty plea rate stayed between 84% and 91% each year. The records do not show why the counts rose.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 154 | 84% | 5% | 17 | 1 (6%) |
| 2017 | 178 | 87% | 6% | 13 | 0 (0%) |
| 2018 | 174 | 91% | 5% | 7 | 0 (0 of 7) |
| 2019 | 189 | 90% | 3% | 13 | 0 (0%) |
| 2020 | 169 | 87% | 6% | 12 | 0 (0%) |
| 2021 | 213 | 88% | 2% | 20 | 2 (10%) |
| 2022 | 284 | 87% | 5% | 21 | 0 (0%) |
| 2023 | 230 | 87% | 4% | 21 | 0 (0%) |
| 2024 | 307 | 90% | 4% | 21 | 1 (5%) |
| 2025 | 290 | 90% | 2% | 23 | 0 (0%) |
Federal Defenders, CJA Panel Attorneys, and Retained Counsel
Federal public or community defenders represented 1,113 defendants (51%). Retained private counsel represented 620 (28%). CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 445 (20%). The records list 2 defendants as representing themselves.
With a federal defender, 91% pleaded guilty, compared with 86% with retained counsel and 85% with a CJA panel attorney. Trials were 63 in the federal defender group, 56 with retained counsel, and 48 with CJA panel attorneys. Acquittals were 1 (2%), 1 (2%), and 2 (4%).
These numbers describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. Counsel type is taken from the end of the case, and defendants with hired lawyers and those with appointed lawyers face different charges and circumstances.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 1,113 | 91% | 3% | 63 | 1 (2%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 445 | 85% | 4% | 48 | 2 (4%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 620 | 86% | 5% | 56 | 1 (2%) |
| Self-represented | 2 | 1 of 2 | 0 of 2 | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
Military Comparison and Limits
This section is part of the approved pairing for sexual offenses against a child: Article 120b on the military side, and federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses on the federal side. The comparison itself appears in the comparison posts, not here.
The records count outcomes and terms. They do not show the facts of any case, the evidence, or the reasons charges were dismissed.
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. 2422, any subsection (2,188), 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)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b Courts-Martial (comparison with courts-martial)
- 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. 2421, Transportation generally: 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)
- 18 U.S.C. 3146, Penalty for failure to appear: 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? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 120b Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- How Has Article 120b Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016? (court-martial data)
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 120b UCMJ: Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child (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.