18 U.S.C. 2423, Transportation of minors: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Among 943 federal defendants whose cases ended under 18 U.S.C. 2423 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 885 (94%) were convicted, and 880 of the convicted (more than 99%) received a prison term on that charge. The median term was 120 months (10 years), and 22 defendants received life. Of the 77 cases that
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In brief: Among 943 federal defendants whose cases ended under 18 U.S.C. 2423 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 885 (94%) were convicted, and 880 of the convicted (more than 99%) received a prison term on that charge. The median term was 120 months (10 years), and 22 defendants received life. Of the 77 cases that went to trial, 2 ended in an acquittal (3%).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 943 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.
Heading and Charge Level
The U.S. Code gives section 2423 of Title 18 the heading "Transportation of minors". This post uses that heading as the only description of the section.
All 943 cases were felonies. The records include no Class A misdemeanor and no petty offense under this section.
Counting follows the federal courts' Table D-4. A defendant is included when this section was the most serious charge at the end of the case, whether the case ended in a conviction, a dismissal, or an acquittal.
Length of Prison Terms
Of the 885 convicted defendants, 880 received a prison term on this charge. The median term for those with 1 month or more was 120 months, which is 10 years.
Life was the sentence for 22 defendants.
The term counted is the term on this charge. Prison time imposed on other counts in the same case is outside these figures.
How Did Cases Under Section 2423 End?
Guilty pleas accounted for 810 cases (86%). The charges were dismissed in 56 (6%). Trials accounted for 77 (8%).
Dismissed means the charges were dismissed. That category includes dismissals on the government's motion, for example after the defendant pleaded guilty in another case.
Juries heard 72 trials and acquitted in 2 (3%). Judges heard 5 bench trials and acquitted in none (0 of 5). Over the 10 years, 2 of 77 trials (3%) ended in an acquittal.
Year by Year
Between 73 and 122 cases ended under this section each fiscal year. Fiscal year 2022 had the most, 122, and fiscal year 2021 had the fewest, 73.
The guilty plea rate was lowest in fiscal year 2018, at 80%, the same year the dismissal rate was highest, at 12%. The highest plea rate was 96%, in fiscal year 2017. The 2 acquittals came in fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2022.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 111 | 84% | 9% | 8 | 0 (0 of 8) |
| 2017 | 92 | 96% | 2% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2018 | 76 | 80% | 12% | 6 | 0 (0 of 6) |
| 2019 | 98 | 83% | 6% | 11 | 0 (0%) |
| 2020 | 86 | 84% | 6% | 9 | 1 (1 of 9) |
| 2021 | 73 | 93% | 3% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
| 2022 | 122 | 82% | 7% | 13 | 1 (8%) |
| 2023 | 80 | 88% | 6% | 5 | 0 (0 of 5) |
| 2024 | 93 | 84% | 3% | 12 | 0 (0%) |
| 2025 | 112 | 88% | 4% | 8 | 0 (0 of 8) |
Counsel at Case End
Federal public or community defenders represented 467 defendants (50%). Retained private counsel represented 248 (26%). CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 217 (23%). The records list 1 defendant as self-represented.
In the CJA panel group, 75% pleaded guilty and 10% had the case dismissed. The guilty plea rate was 91% with a federal defender and 90% with retained counsel. Trials numbered 33 in the CJA panel group, 24 with a federal defender, and 20 with retained counsel. The federal defender and CJA panel groups each had 1 acquittal (4% and 3%). Retained counsel had none (0%).
The figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. Defendants with hired lawyers and those with appointed lawyers face different charges and circumstances, and the counsel type is the one recorded when the case ended.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 467 | 91% | 4% | 24 | 1 (4%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 217 | 75% | 10% | 33 | 1 (3%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 248 | 90% | 2% | 20 | 0 (0%) |
| Self-represented | 1 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 | 0 | 0 |
Related Comparisons and What Is Missing
Section 2423 falls within the approved pairing for sexual offenses against a child, which matches Article 120b with federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses. That pairing is covered in the comparison posts.
These records show case endings and terms on this charge. They do not show the facts, the evidence, or why 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. 2423, any subsection (943), 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. 2421, Transportation generally: 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. 3146, Penalty for failure to appear: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 4082, Commitment to Attorney General; residential treatment centers; extension of limits of confinement; work furlough: 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.