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# 18 U.S.C. 641, Public money, property or records: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-641-case-outcomes/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:55:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:55:11.000Z
- Description: Of 9,190 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 641 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 67% pleaded guilty, 32% had their cases dismissed, and 2% went to trial. Of the 164 trials, 38 ended in an acquittal (23%). Among the 6,253 convicted, 2,082 (33%) recei
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › 18 U.S.C. 641

**In brief:** Of 9,190 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 641 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 67% pleaded guilty, 32% had their cases dismissed, and 2% went to trial. Of the 164 trials, 38 ended in an acquittal (23%). Among the 6,253 convicted, 2,082 (33%) received a prison term on that charge.

Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 9,190 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## A Large Statute With Many Dismissals

Title 18, section 641 of the U.S. Code carries the heading "Public money, property or records". The count here covers 9,190 defendants whose cases ended over 10 fiscal years. A federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

Dismissals were frequent under this section. 2,899 defendants (32%) had their charges dismissed. The Federal Judicial Center counts a dismissal whenever the charges were dropped, and that includes dismissals on the government's motion, such as after a guilty plea in a separate case. A dismissal in these records therefore does not always mean the person faced no conviction anywhere.

Guilty pleas accounted for 6,127 defendants (67%). In total, 6,253 of the 9,190 (68%) were convicted, either by plea or after a trial.

## Felony and Misdemeanor Charges

The level of the charge was split more evenly than in many federal statutes. 4,903 defendants (53%) faced a felony under this section at the end of the case, and 4,287 (47%) faced a Class A misdemeanor. No petty offenses were recorded.

This mix is worth keeping in mind when reading the prison numbers below. The records here do not split the prison figures by charge level, so they cannot show how often felony and misdemeanor convictions each led to prison.

## Prison Terms on This Charge

Of the 6,253 people convicted, 2,082 (33%) received a prison term on the section 641 charge. The others received no prison term on that charge.

Among those with a prison term of 1 month or more, the median term was 13 months. A median is the middle value when all the terms are put in order. The figure counts only the term on this charge, not any time imposed on other counts.

## How Did the 164 Trials End?

Only 164 defendants (2%) went to trial. Of those trials, 38 ended in an acquittal, or 23%.

Juries decided 137 of the trials and acquitted in 26 (19%). Judges decided 27 bench trials and acquitted in 12 (44%). The bench trial group is small, and jury and bench trials may involve different kinds of charges, so the records cannot show whether the choice of judge or jury made a difference.

## Results by Type of Counsel

The records note the type of counsel at the end of each case. These figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of the lawyers in them. People who hire a lawyer and people who receive an appointed lawyer often face different charges and circumstances.

Federal public or community defenders represented 3,676 defendants (40%), and 77% of them pleaded guilty. CJA panel attorneys, who are private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 1,624 (18%), also with 77% pleading guilty. Private retained counsel represented 2,092 (23%), with 79% pleading guilty.

Self-represented defendants numbered 1,267 (14%). Of them, 31% pleaded guilty and 69% had their cases dismissed. Only 3 went to trial. The records do not explain why so many of these cases were dismissed, and the counsel label alone cannot answer that.

| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| Federal public or community defender   | 3,676      | 77%            | 21%       | 48     | 13 (27%)           |
| CJA panel attorney                     | 1,624      | 77%            | 19%       | 59     | 11 (19%)           |
| Private (retained) counsel             | 2,092      | 79%            | 19%       | 54     | 13 (24%)           |
| Self-represented                       | 1,267      | 31%            | 69%       | 3      | 1 (1 of 3)         |

## Year by Year

The number of cases ending each year was higher at the start of the period than at the end: 1,651 in fiscal year 2016 compared with 535 in fiscal year 2025\. The guilty plea share stayed between 62% and 73% across the years.

Trial counts in single years were small, as low as 3 in fiscal year 2025, so the yearly acquittal figures move a great deal and should not be read as trends.

| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| ----------- | ----------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| 2016        | 1,651       | 65%            | 33%       | 30     | 9 (30%)            |
| 2017        | 1,333       | 66%            | 32%       | 27     | 4 (15%)            |
| 2018        | 1,116       | 65%            | 32%       | 31     | 4 (13%)            |
| 2019        | 1,076       | 66%            | 33%       | 17     | 7 (41%)            |
| 2020        | 795         | 62%            | 36%       | 11     | 2 (18%)            |
| 2021        | 763         | 68%            | 31%       | 7      | 3 (3 of 7)         |
| 2022        | 706         | 73%            | 26%       | 11     | 3 (27%)            |
| 2023        | 668         | 69%            | 29%       | 14     | 2 (14%)            |
| 2024        | 547         | 65%            | 33%       | 13     | 2 (15%)            |
| 2025        | 535         | 73%            | 26%       | 3      | 2 (2 of 3)         |

## What These Records Cannot Show

The data counts the most serious charge at the end of the case, so a defendant first charged under another statute may appear here, and the reverse is also true. The records do not describe the facts of any case, the strength of the evidence, or the reasons a prosecutor dismissed a charge. They also cannot show how any single defendant would have fared with a different lawyer.

### 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. 641, any subsection (9,190), 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-dollar-loss-vs-article-121/) (comparison with courts-martial)
- [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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-553-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 554, Smuggling goods from the United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-554-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 656, Theft, embezzlement, or misapplication by bank officer or employee: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-656-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 659, Interstate or foreign shipments by carrier; State prosecutions: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-659-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [Appointed vs. Retained Lawyers in Federal Criminal Cases: How Cases Ended, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-appointed-vs-retained-counsel-outcomes/)
- [Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rates-vs-courts-martial/)
- [Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Fighting an Army Larceny Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-acq-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Air Force Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-121-trend-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Has Article 121 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-121-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 121 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-121-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 121 (Larceny): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-121-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 121 UCMJ: Larceny and Wrongful Appropriation](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.