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# Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2022
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2022/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:12:14.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:12:14.000Z
- Description: The median prison term was 1.5 months for people sent to prison in fiscal year 2022 for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less. That is the lowest yearly median in this band from fiscal year 2016 to 2025. Of the 91 people sentenced, 32 (35%) went to prison and 55 (60%) received probati
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or L](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less/) › $1,000 or less: FY2022

**In brief:** The median prison term was 1.5 months for people sent to prison in fiscal year 2022 for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,000 or less. That is the lowest yearly median in this band from fiscal year 2016 to 2025\. Of the 91 people sentenced, 32 (35%) went to prison and 55 (60%) received probation only.

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

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 91 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2022\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended 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 Low Median With a Wide Spread

The 32 people sent to prison had a median term of 1.5 months. The all-years median for this loss band was 5.8 months.

The terms varied widely. A quarter of them were recorded as 0 months. At the other end, a quarter were 13.2 months or more.

The group of 32 prison terms is small, and a median based on so few terms can change noticeably from 1 year to the next. The records do not show why this year's median was lower.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 184              | 6.6 months    | more than 99%  |
| 2017        | 200              | 5.7 months    | 98%            |
| 2018        | 161              | 4.5 months    | 99%            |
| 2019        | 151              | 6 months      | 99%            |
| 2020        | 108              | 5.6 months    | 100%           |
| 2021        | 85               | 4.5 months    | 99%            |
| 2022        | 91               | 1.5 months    | 100%           |
| 2023        | 102              | 6.5 months    | 97%            |
| 2024        | 78               | 5.8 months    | 99%            |
| 2025        | 50               | 5.2 months    | 100%           |

## Prison Share and Probation

Prison was ordered for 35% of the 91 people. Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the figure for this band was 33%, about the same.

Probation only went to 55 people, or 60%. Probation only means the sentence had no prison or other confinement.

After prison, 28 people (31%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median supervised release term was 24 months.

## All 91 Pleaded Guilty

No one in this band was convicted at trial in fiscal year 2022\. All 91 people pleaded guilty, or 100%.

Written plea agreements were part of 80% of those pleas. Straight pleas, with no agreement, were 19%.

## Within or Outside the Guideline Range

Of the 91 sentences, 76 fell within the guideline range (84%). Below the range without a government request were 10 (11%).

Below the range at the government's request were 3 (3%). Above the range were 2 (2%).

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 people (2%).

## Financial Penalties and Criminal History

Courts ordered restitution for 63 people (69%). Restitution repays the victim for the loss. They ordered a fine, which is paid to the government, for 22 (24%).

Criminal history category I is the lowest of the 6 federal categories, and category VI is the highest. In this group, 67% were in category I and 5% were in category VI. Court-martial records do not have a criminal history field.

## Theft and Fraud Across All Loss Amounts

Under guideline §2B1.1, the sentencing range rises in steps as the loss amount rises, and those steps set the bands in this series. In fiscal year 2022, 5,208 people were sentenced under §2B1.1 at every loss level.

Among them, 76% received prison, and the median term was 21 months. Both were higher than in the $1,000-or-less band.

## What These Numbers Cannot Show

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counts only convicted and sentenced people, so acquittals and dismissals are not here. Fiscal year 2022 means October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022.

Courts-martial cannot be grouped the same way. Their records seldom list the dollar value taken in a larceny.

### How We Counted

People sentenced in fiscal year 2022 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$1,000 or less" (91), U.S. Sentencing Commission (LOSSHI).

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

**Different cases reach each system.** Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts.

**No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.

**Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.

**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.

**How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.

## 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)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less/) (overview)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2021/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2023/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-no-loss-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-550001-to-3-5-million-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-over-3-5-million-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2022/) (same year, other loss band)
- [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/)
- [Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-trend-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)
- [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.