18 U.S.C. 514, Fictitious obligations: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Among 45 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 18 U.S.C. 514 as the most serious charge, 10 (22%) went to trial, and 1 of those trials ended in an acquittal (10%). Of the 35 convicted, 34 (97%) received a prison term on that charge. The median term was 33 months (2.8
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In brief: Among 45 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 18 U.S.C. 514 as the most serious charge, 10 (22%) went to trial, and 1 of those trials ended in an acquittal (10%). Of the 35 convicted, 34 (97%) received a prison term on that charge. The median term was 33 months (2.8 years).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 45 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.
How Many Cases Went to Trial?
Trials made up 22% of the cases under this section: 10 of 45 defendants. Guilty pleas ended 26 cases (58%), and dismissals ended 9 (20%).
Juries heard 9 of the 10 trials and acquitted in 1 of 9. A judge heard the remaining bench trial, which did not end in an acquittal (0 of 1).
With only 10 trials, the 10% acquittal rate rests on a single verdict. It should be read as a count, not as a stable rate.
About the Section and the Records
Title 18, section 514 of the U.S. Code is headed "Fictitious obligations".
The Federal Judicial Center records count each defendant once, by the most serious charge at the end of the case, for cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Dismissals and acquittals are included. A dismissal can mean the government dropped the charges, for example after the person pleaded guilty in another case.
Convictions and Prison Terms
By plea or at trial, 35 of the 45 defendants (78%) were convicted. Every charge was a felony (100%).
A prison term on this charge followed for 34 of the 35 convicted (97%). The median term, counting terms of 1 month or more, was 33 months (2.8 years). The median is the midpoint of the ordered terms and does not show the full range.
Type of Counsel and Case Results
CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, were recorded for 20 defendants (44%). Federal public or community defenders were recorded for 13 (29%), private (retained) counsel for 6 (13%), and 2 defendants (4%) were self-represented.
The CJA panel group had 6 trials and no acquittals (0 of 6). The federal defender group had 3 trials, and the only acquittal under this section came from that group (1 of 3). Private counsel had 1 trial, with no acquittal. Both self-represented defendants pleaded guilty (2 of 2).
These groups are small, and they describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers. Appointed and retained counsel represent people with 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 | 13 | 69% | 8% | 3 | 1 (1 of 3) |
| CJA panel attorney | 20 | 60% | 10% | 6 | 0 (0 of 6) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 6 | 3 of 6 | 2 of 6 | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| Self-represented | 2 | 2 of 2 | 0 of 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fiscal Years With Trials
Fiscal year 2017 had the most cases end, with 12. Fiscal year 2019 had the most trials, with 4 of 7 cases going to trial and none ending in an acquittal (0 of 4). The single acquittal came in fiscal year 2016.
The yearly table lists no cases for fiscal year 2023. No year had more than 12 cases, so year-to-year differences are not a trend.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 4 of 7 | 1 of 7 | 2 | 1 (1 of 2) |
| 2017 | 12 | 83% | 0% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2018 | 4 | 2 of 4 | 1 of 4 | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| 2019 | 7 | 1 of 7 | 2 of 7 | 4 | 0 (0 of 4) |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 3 of 4 | 0 of 4 | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| 2024 | 4 | 2 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 of 4 | 1 of 4 | 0 | 0 |
What Cannot Be Known From These Numbers
The data do not say why cases went to trial or were dismissed, or what the evidence was. The approved crosswalk includes no close court-martial counterpart for this section, so the post is limited to federal cases.
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. 514, any subsection (45), 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. 473, Dealing in counterfeit obligations or securities: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 513, Securities of the States and private entities: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 545, Smuggling goods into the United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 553, Importation or exportation of stolen motor vehicles, off-highway mobile equipment, vessels, or aircraft: 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.