Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 702 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a dollar loss of $1,001 to $15,000. More of them received probation only (345, or 49%) than a prison term (292, or 42%). For those sent to prison, the median prison term was 7 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $ › $1,001 to $15,000: FY2016
In brief: In fiscal year 2016, 702 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a dollar loss of $1,001 to $15,000. More of them received probation only (345, or 49%) than a prison term (292, or 42%). For those sent to prison, the median prison term was 7 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 702 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2016. 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 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.
Probation Was More Common Than Prison
Of the 702 people sentenced in this loss band, 345 (49%) received probation only. That means no prison and no other confinement. Another 292 (42%) received a prison term.
So for this band in fiscal year 2016, a sentence of probation only was ordered more often than a prison term.
The share sent to prison in fiscal year 2016 was lower than the share for the band as a whole. From fiscal year 2016 to 2025, 54% of the 4,270 people in the $1,001 to $15,000 band went to prison.
Length of the Prison Terms
Among the 292 people who went to prison, the median prison term was 7 months. The median is the middle value when the terms are lined up from shortest to longest.
The spread was wide. A quarter of those sent to prison received 18 months or more. At the other end, a quarter received 1 month or less.
Supervised release, a period of monitoring that follows prison, was ordered for 286 people (41%). The median supervised release term was 36 months.
Pleas and Trials
Nearly all of these cases ended in a guilty plea: 692 of 702 (99%). Only 10 people were convicted after a trial.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 6.5 months. After a trial it was 12.5 months. That trial figure is based on just 8 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison, so it is a small count.
Among the guilty pleas, 84% had a written plea agreement with the government. The other 15% were straight pleas, entered with no agreement.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
The federal sentencing guidelines give a recommended range for each case. For 701 of the 702 people, the records show where the sentence fell against that range.
Most, 80% (560), were sentenced within the range. In 48 cases (7%), the sentence was below the range at the government's request. In 67 cases (10%), it was below the range without a government request. Only 26 sentences (4%) were above the range.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 35 people (5%).
Restitution, Fines, and Criminal History
Restitution, an order to repay victims, was far more common than a fine. Restitution was ordered for 603 people (86%). A fine was ordered for 62 (9%).
Most people in the band had little or no prior record. In the lowest criminal history score, category I, were 64%. In the highest, category VI, were 7%. Court-martial records have no matching criminal history field.
Compared With All Theft and Fraud in Fiscal Year 2016
Guideline §2B1.1 covers theft and fraud at every dollar amount. Across all loss bands in fiscal year 2016, 7,104 people were sentenced under it, with a median prison term of 22.2 months. Of that full group, 70% were sent to prison.
The $1,001 to $15,000 band had a lower prison rate and a shorter median prison term than the full group. The band limits are steps in the loss table that the guideline uses to raise the offense level.
The table below gives each fiscal year for this band, from 2016 to 2025. Fiscal year 2016 had the most people sentenced of any year shown.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 702 | 7 months | 99% |
| 2017 | 602 | 8 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 506 | 8.8 months | more than 99% |
| 2019 | 498 | 7.8 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 380 | 6 months | more than 99% |
| 2021 | 342 | 8.6 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 350 | 12 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 354 | 7 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 298 | 6 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 238 | 7.2 months | more than 99% |
What the Numbers Leave Out
The Sentencing Commission data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. Court-martial records rarely state the dollar value in a larceny case, so no military group can be matched to this band.
How We Counted
People sentenced in fiscal year 2016 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$1,001 to $15,000" (702), 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2017 (previous or next year)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2016 (same year, other loss band)
- Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial
- Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Air Force Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Has Article 121 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017? (court-martial data)
- Article 121 (Larceny): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 121 UCMJ: Larceny and Wrongful Appropriation (law firm reference page)
- 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.