46 U.S.C. 70503, Prohibited acts: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal defendants charged under 46 U.S.C. 70503 almost always went to prison. Of the 2,598 convicted in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 2,587 (more than 99%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 96 months (8 years). Most of the 2,681 defendants, 2,539 (95%),
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In brief: Federal defendants charged under 46 U.S.C. 70503 almost always went to prison. Of the 2,598 convicted in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 2,587 (more than 99%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 96 months (8 years). Most of the 2,681 defendants, 2,539 (95%), pleaded guilty.
This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 2,681 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.
Prison Terms on the Charge
Nearly every conviction under this section came with a prison term. The count is 2,587 of the 2,598 people convicted, which the records report as more than 99%.
The median term, counting only terms of 1 month or more, was 96 months. That equals 8 years. One defendant received a life term.
A median is the middle value when all terms are lined up from shortest to longest. It does not describe the range of terms, and it reflects the sentence imposed, not the time a person actually served.
What Section 70503 Is and How It Was Counted
Title 46, section 70503 of the U.S. Code carries the heading "Prohibited acts." This post uses only that heading to identify the section.
The numbers come from the Federal Judicial Center. A defendant is included when the most serious charge at the end of the case fell under this section and the case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. A federal fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September. The count follows the federal courts' Table D-4, so it includes every case that ended, whether by plea, dismissal, or verdict.
All 2,681 charges were recorded as felonies. No misdemeanor or petty offense cases appear under this section.
Guilty Pleas, Dismissals, and Trials
Of the 2,681 defendants, 2,539 (95%) pleaded guilty. Another 77 (3%) had their charges dismissed. Only 65 (2%) went to trial.
Dismissed here means the charges were dropped, which can include a dismissal on the government's motion after the person pleaded guilty in a different case. The records do not give reasons.
Counting both pleas and verdicts, 2,598 of the 2,681 (97%) were convicted.
How the 65 Trials Ended
Of the 65 trials, 6 ended in an acquittal, or 9%. Juries decided 59 of them and acquitted in 5 (8%). A judge decided the other 6, with 1 acquittal.
Trial numbers in single years were small. Fiscal year 2017 had 11 trials and 3 acquittals. Fiscal year 2022 had 3 acquittals in 8 trials. Most other years had none. The yearly table shows every year.
Total cases per year ranged from 193 in fiscal year 2016 to 365 in fiscal year 2024. The guilty plea rate stayed between 92% and 99% in every year.
| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 193 | 94% | 3% | 7 | 0 (0 of 7) |
| 2017 | 263 | 93% | 3% | 11 | 3 (27%) |
| 2018 | 314 | 92% | 6% | 7 | 0 (0 of 7) |
| 2019 | 245 | 94% | 1% | 12 | 0 (0%) |
| 2020 | 205 | 97% | 2% | 2 | 0 (0 of 2) |
| 2021 | 255 | 97% | 2% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
| 2022 | 295 | 93% | 5% | 8 | 3 (3 of 8) |
| 2023 | 301 | 92% | 4% | 11 | 0 (0%) |
| 2024 | 365 | 97% | 2% | 1 | 0 (0 of 1) |
| 2025 | 245 | 99% | 0% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
Type of Counsel at the End of the Case
CJA panel attorneys, who are private lawyers appointed by the court, were recorded for 1,939 defendants (72%). Federal public or community defenders were recorded for 594 (22%). Retained private counsel represented 129 (5%).
Plea rates were close across the groups: 95% with CJA panel attorneys, 96% with federal defenders, and 97% with retained counsel. The CJA panel group had 52 trials and 5 acquittals (10%). The federal defender group had 10 trials and 1 acquittal (10%). Retained counsel had 3 trials and no acquittals.
These figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of any lawyer. People who hire counsel and people who receive appointed counsel can face different charges and circumstances, and the records do not adjust for those differences.
| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal public or community defender | 594 | 96% | 2% | 10 | 1 (10%) |
| CJA panel attorney | 1,939 | 95% | 2% | 52 | 5 (10%) |
| Private (retained) counsel | 129 | 97% | less than 1% | 3 | 0 (0 of 3) |
Limits of These Records
The data sorts each case by its most serious charge when the case closed. It holds no facts about the conduct, the evidence, or why a case was dismissed or a jury acquitted. The approved crosswalk has no close court-martial counterpart for this section, so only federal cases are reported.
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 46 U.S.C. 70503, any subsection (2,681), 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)
- 46 U.S.C. 70506, Penalties: 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.