Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, a mandatory minimum prison term applied to 75 of the 498 people (15%) sentenced for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,001 to $15,000. Prison was ordered for 289 (58%), and the median prison term was 7.8 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 24 months or more.
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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: FY2019
In brief: In fiscal year 2019, a mandatory minimum prison term applied to 75 of the 498 people (15%) sentenced for federal theft or fraud with a loss of $1,001 to $15,000. Prison was ordered for 289 (58%), and the median prison term was 7.8 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 24 months or more.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 498 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2019. 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.
Mandatory Minimums in Fiscal Year 2019
A mandatory minimum is a prison floor written into a statute. In this band in fiscal year 2019, one applied to 75 people, which is 15% of the 498 sentenced.
The fact sheet does not say which statutes set those minimums. It also does not show how the minimum affected each sentence.
The Range of Prison Terms
For the 289 people who received a prison term, the median was 7.8 months. The terms were spread out. The top quarter received 24 months or more, while the bottom quarter received 1 month or less.
A median describes the middle case, so a few long terms do not raise it much. The quarter marks show how far the terms reached at each end.
Probation only was ordered for 183 people (37%). These people received no prison or other confinement.
How the Year Compares With the Band Overall
For fiscal years 2016 to 2025 combined, the band included 4,270 people. The median prison term was 8 months, and 54% were sent to prison.
Fiscal year 2019 had a higher prison rate (58%) and a slightly lower median (7.8 months) than those all-years figures. The table lists the count, median, and plea rate for every year.
| 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% |
Plea Agreements and Trials
There were 488 guilty pleas among the 498 people (98%). Another 10 were convicted after a trial.
Of the guilty pleas, 88% came with a written plea agreement. The other 11% were straight pleas without any agreement.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 7.5 months. After a trial, it was 13.4 months. Only 8 people convicted at trial were sent to prison, so the trial median rests on a small number of sentences.
Position Against the Guideline Range
All 498 records show the sentence position. Within the guideline range were 375 (75%). Below the range at the government's request were 57 (11%). Below the range without a government request were 55 (11%). Above the range were 11 (2%).
Restitution, Fines, Supervision, and Record
Restitution was ordered for 404 people (81%), and a fine for 41 (8%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 277 (56%), with a median term of 36 months.
In category I, the lowest criminal history category, were 57%. In category VI, the highest, were 9%. Courts-martial do not record a criminal history category.
All Theft and Fraud Sentences That Year
Guideline §2B1.1 applied to 5,707 people in fiscal year 2019 across all loss bands. That full group had a median prison term of 22 months, and 75% were sent to prison. The $1,001 to $15,000 band had a much shorter median and a lower prison rate.
Gaps in the Record
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are in the Sentencing Commission data. It leaves out acquittals and dismissals.
Fiscal year 2019 ran from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019. Courts-martial are counted by trial date, and their larceny records rarely give a dollar amount. For that reason, this band has no court-martial match.
How We Counted
People sentenced in fiscal year 2019 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$1,001 to $15,000" (498), 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 2018 (previous or next year)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2020 (previous or next year)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2019 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2019 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2019 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2019 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2019 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2019 (same year, other loss band)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2019 (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.