18 U.S.C. 922, Unlawful acts: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal courts closed 70,704 cases in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in which the most serious charge at the end was under 18 U.S.C. 922. Guilty pleas ended 64,625 (91%), and 1,871 (3%) went to trial, with 380 of those trials (20%) ending in an acquittal. Of the 66,116 convicted, 62,535 (95%) received a
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In brief: Federal courts closed 70,704 cases in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in which the most serious charge at the end was under 18 U.S.C. 922. Guilty pleas ended 64,625 (91%), and 1,871 (3%) went to trial, with 380 of those trials (20%) ending in an acquittal. Of the 66,116 convicted, 62,535 (95%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 42 months (3.5 years).
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 70,704 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.
A Large Group of Cases
Title 18, section 922 has the heading "Unlawful acts". The Federal Judicial Center records list it as the most serious charge for 70,704 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Nearly every charge was a felony: 70,619 (more than 99%). The records list 85 Class A misdemeanors (less than 1%) and no petty offenses.
Because the group is so large, its yearly rates moved little. The guilty plea rate was between 90% and 92% in each fiscal year.
How Often Did Trials End in Acquittal?
Trials were rare: 1,871 defendants, or 3%. Juries decided 1,577 of them and acquitted in 296 (19%). Judges decided 294 bench trials and acquitted in 84 (29%).
Bench trial acquittals were more common than jury acquittals in this group. The records do not show what kinds of cases went before a judge rather than a jury, so the jury and bench rates cover different sets of cases.
Dismissals and Convictions
Dismissals ended 4,208 cases (6%). A dismissal in these records includes charges dropped on the government's motion, such as after a guilty plea in a separate case.
Adding trial convictions to guilty pleas, 66,116 defendants (94%) were convicted on this charge.
Prison Terms
A prison term on this charge was recorded for 62,535 of those convicted (95%). For terms of 1 month or more, the median was 42 months (3.5 years).
Life terms were recorded for 3 defendants. The median counts the middle term when terms are listed from shortest to longest, so a few very long terms do not move it.
Fiscal Year Counts
The yearly number of cases ended ranged from 5,547 in fiscal year 2016 to 8,494 in fiscal year 2022. Dismissal rates stayed between 5% and 7%.
Acquittal rates at trial varied more: 14% in fiscal year 2016, 29% in fiscal year 2018, and 19% in fiscal year 2025. Yearly trial counts were between 145 and 214. The records do not explain the year-to-year changes.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5,547 | 91% | 6% | 186 | 26 (14%) |
| 2017 | 6,004 | 92% | 5% | 202 | 34 (17%) |
| 2018 | 6,764 | 92% | 5% | 203 | 59 (29%) |
| 2019 | 7,559 | 91% | 7% | 196 | 36 (18%) |
| 2020 | 6,782 | 90% | 7% | 158 | 41 (26%) |
| 2021 | 7,311 | 92% | 6% | 145 | 31 (21%) |
| 2022 | 8,494 | 92% | 5% | 214 | 46 (21%) |
| 2023 | 7,857 | 92% | 6% | 184 | 33 (18%) |
| 2024 | 7,244 | 91% | 6% | 195 | 39 (20%) |
| 2025 | 7,142 | 92% | 6% | 188 | 35 (19%) |
Results by Type of Counsel
Federal public or community defenders represented 39,222 defendants (55%). Their clients pleaded guilty in 93% of cases and had 5% dismissed. They had 817 trials, with 223 acquittals (27%).
CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 22,471 (32%), with a plea rate of 92% and 111 acquittals in 800 trials (14%). Retained private counsel represented 8,153 (12%), with a plea rate of 93% and 45 acquittals in 238 trials (19%). The 52 self-represented defendants pleaded guilty in 46% of cases, and 1 of their 16 trials ended in an acquittal.
Type of counsel is recorded at the end of the case. Defendants who hire a lawyer and those who are appointed one face different charges and circumstances. The rates above describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 39,222 | 93% | 5% | 817 | 223 (27%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 22,471 | 92% | 5% | 800 | 111 (14%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 8,153 | 93% | 4% | 238 | 45 (19%) |
| Self-represented | 52 | 46% | 23% | 16 | 1 (6%) |
What These Counts Cannot Show
The records count the most serious charge per defendant. They do not describe the conduct, the evidence, or the reasons behind a plea, a dismissal, or a verdict.
There is no close court-martial counterpart for this section in the approved crosswalk, so these federal numbers stand on their own.
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. 922, any subsection (70,704), 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. 911, Citizen of the United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 912, Officer or employee of the United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 924, Penalties: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025 (same title of the U.S. Code)
- 18 U.S.C. 930, Possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in Federal facilities: 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.