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# Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2018
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000-fy2018/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:12:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:12:17.000Z
- Description: Federal judges sentenced 506 people for theft or fraud with losses of $1,001 to $15,000 in fiscal year 2018. Of these, 73% (368) received a sentence within the guideline range, and 277 (55%) were sent to prison. The median prison term was 8.8 months.
- 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 $1,001 to $](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000/) › $1,001 to $15,000: FY2018

**In brief:** Federal judges sentenced 506 people for theft or fraud with losses of $1,001 to $15,000 in fiscal year 2018\. Of these, 73% (368) received a sentence within the guideline range, and 277 (55%) were sent to prison. The median prison term was 8.8 months.

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 506 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2018\. 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/).

## Sentences Measured Against the Guidelines

Federal judges start from a guideline range, a span of months computed from the offense and the person's record. The records give the position of the sentence for 505 of the 506 people.

Within the range: 368 (73%). Below the range without a government request: 69 (14%). Below the range at the government's request: 51 (10%). Above the range: 17 (3%).

Sentences below the range without a government request were more common than those below the range at the government's request. The records do not show the reasons judges and prosecutors gave for either kind.

## A Mandatory Minimum in 13% of Cases

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 65 people in this band, or 13%. Where a mandatory minimum applies, the statute sets a floor on the prison term.

The sheet does not identify which statutes carried those minimums.

## Who Went to Prison, and for How Long

Prison was ordered for 277 of the 506 (55%). Probation only, with no confinement of any kind, was ordered for 196 (39%).

The median prison term was 8.8 months. A quarter of the prison terms were 21 months or more. A quarter were 2.5 months or less.

The prison rate of 55% was about the same as the 54% rate for the band across fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median of 8.8 months was a little higher than the all-years median of 8 months.

## Few Trials

Guilty pleas made up more than 99% of the cases: 501 of 506\. Only 5 people were convicted after a trial.

After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 8.8 months. After a trial, it was 15 months, but that is based on only 4 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. A count of 4 is too small to describe trials in general.

Most guilty pleas (86%) had a written plea agreement. Straight pleas, with no agreement, made up 13%.

## Supervision, Restitution, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 272 people (54%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 425 (84%), and a fine for 21 (4%).

The lowest criminal history category, category I, held 54% of the group. The highest, category VI, held 12%. Court-martial records include no criminal history field.

## The Band Next to All Theft and Fraud

In fiscal year 2018, 5,948 people were sentenced under guideline §2B1.1 in all loss bands combined. Their median prison term was 24 months, and 74% were sent to prison.

Both figures were higher for the full group than for the $1,001 to $15,000 band. The limits of this band are steps in the loss table of guideline §2B1.1.

The table shows the number sentenced, median prison term, and guilty plea rate for each fiscal year in this band.

| 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 These Records Cannot Show

Only convicted and sentenced people are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are outside this data.

The year is a federal fiscal year, from October 1 to September 30\. Court-martial records seldom give a dollar value for larceny, so the military side cannot be split into this band.

### How We Counted

People sentenced in fiscal year 2018 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$1,001 to $15,000" (506), 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 $1,001 to $15,000, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000/) (overview)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000-fy2017/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000-fy2019/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-no-loss-fy2018/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2018/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2018/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000-fy2018/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-550001-to-3-5-million-fy2018/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-over-3-5-million-fy2018/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2018/) (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.