Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, FY2016–2025
Of 4,270 people sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a loss of $1,001 to $15,000, 2,300 (54%) received a prison term and 1,714 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 8 months after any conviction, 7.7 months after a guilty plea and 24 months after a trial. The years
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss › Loss: $1,001 to $15,000
In brief: Of 4,270 people sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a loss of $1,001 to $15,000, 2,300 (54%) received a prison term and 1,714 (40%) received probation only. The median prison term was 8 months after any conviction, 7.7 months after a guilty plea and 24 months after a trial. The years covered are fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 4,270 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). 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.
How Much Longer Were Prison Terms After a Trial?
The largest gap in this band is between pleas and trials. The median prison term was 7.7 months after a guilty plea and 24 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 54 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
Of the 4,270 people, 4,197 (98%) pleaded guilty and 73 were convicted after a trial. The records do not show what each person was offered before trial or what the evidence was.
What Sentences Did the Whole Band Receive?
A prison term went to 2,300 people (54%), and 1,714 (40%) received probation only with no prison or other confinement. For those sent to prison, the median was 8 months. A quarter received 21 months or more, and a quarter received 1 months or less.
For all §2B1.1 cases, the median prison term was 21 months and 73% were sent to prison.
Probation only means the court imposed no prison term and no other confinement. In this band, 4,270 people are counted, so the 40% who received probation only is a large group.
What Did Plea Agreements and Mandatory Minimums Look Like?
Among the guilty pleas, 88% had a written plea agreement and 12% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 454 people (11%).
A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute that a judge must impose unless an exception applies.
Where Did the Sentence Fall Against the Guideline Range?
Information was available for 4,268 people. The sentence was within the range for 75% (3,214). It was below the range at the government's request for 9% (393), and below the range without a government request for 12% (511). Above the range was 4% (150).
In the criminal history data, 59% were in the lowest category and 9% were in the highest.
The guideline range is the span of sentences calculated from the loss amount, criminal history, and other facts. A sentence within the range is the default outcome; a sentence below it needs a separate step, either a government request or a decision by the judge.
What Orders Were Added to the Sentence?
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2,224 people (52%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 373 (9%). Restitution was ordered for 3,508 (82%).
What Does the Yearly Table Show?
The number sentenced fell from 702 in fiscal year 2016 to 238 in fiscal year 2025. The median prison term was 12 months in fiscal year 2022, the highest of the years in the table, and 6 months in fiscal years 2020 and 2024.
Guilty pleas were 97% or higher every year. The records cannot explain the year-to-year changes.
| 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 Can Courts-Martial Say About This Band?
This band starts just above $1,000, the figure at which the UCMJ sets a higher maximum punishment for property. Court-martial records rarely show the dollar value of a larceny, so no court-martial figures can be placed beside this band. They also have no criminal history field.
The band edges are steps in the loss table in §2B1.1.
How We Counted
People sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$1,001 to $15,000" (4,270), U.S. Sentencing Commission (LOSSHI). "Loss not specified" means the records show a loss with no amount.
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.
Offense categories do not line up exactly. Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match.
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)
- Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial (overview)
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, FY2016–2025
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, FY2016–2025
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, FY2016–2025
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, FY2016–2025
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, FY2016–2025
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, FY2016–2025
- Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, FY2016–2025
- Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 121 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Fighting an Army Larceny Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Army Larceny Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Air Force Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Larceny Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 121 in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- How Has Article 121 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017? (court-martial data)
- Article 121 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 121 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Larceny Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (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.