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# Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2017
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2017/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:12:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:12:21.000Z
- Description: In fiscal year 2017, the median prison term for federal theft and fraud with a loss of $15,001 to $95,000 was 14 months. That median covers the 746 people (59%) who received prison out of 1,270 sentenced in the band. Across all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in this band, the median prison term was 12 mo
- 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 $15,001 to ](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000/) › $15,001 to $95,000: FY2017

**In brief:** In fiscal year 2017, the median prison term for federal theft and fraud with a loss of $15,001 to $95,000 was 14 months. That median covers the 746 people (59%) who received prison out of 1,270 sentenced in the band. Across all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in this band, the median prison term was 12 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 1,270 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2017\. 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 Median Higher Than the Band Over All Years

The 14-month median for fiscal year 2017 was higher than the 12-month median for the band over fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The yearly table near the end of this post shows that fiscal year 2018 also had a 14-month median.

A median is the middle prison term when all terms are lined up from shortest to longest. The terms around it in fiscal year 2017 varied widely. A quarter of the people sent to prison received 29 months or more, and another quarter received 5 months or less.

Not everyone in the band went to prison. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 363 people (29%).

## How Judges Sentenced Against the Guideline Range

Federal judges start from a guideline range, a span of months built from the offense and the person's prior record. The range is advisory, and a sentence can fall inside it, below it, or above it.

Records for 1,269 people in the band list this position. Exactly 50% (632) received a sentence within the range. A sentence below the range at the government's request went to 18% (231). A sentence below the range without a government request went to 30% (377). Only 2% (29) were sentenced above the range.

## Few Cases Went to Trial

Of the 1,270 people, 1,226 (97%) pleaded guilty. Another 44 were convicted after a trial.

A written plea agreement was part of 89% of the guilty pleas. Straight pleas, entered with no agreement, made up 10%.

The median prison term was 13.3 months after a guilty plea and 21 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 31 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records do not explain why the trial median was higher.

## Mandatory Minimums and Criminal History

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 196 people (15%). These are minimum terms written into a statute.

Most people in the band had little or no prior record under the federal scoring system. In criminal history category I, the lowest, were 65%. In category VI, the highest, were 5%. Court-martial records have no field that matches this measure.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution

Supervised release follows a prison term and puts the person under court supervision. It was ordered for 725 people (57%), with a median term of 36 months.

Restitution was ordered for 1,119 people (88%). A fine was ordered for 86 (7%).

## The Band Within All Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2017

Guideline §2B1.1 covered 6,358 people across every loss band in fiscal year 2017\. That full group had a median prison term of 24 months, and 72% were sent to prison.

The $15,001 to $95,000 band was lower on both counts: a 14-month median, and 59% sent to prison. The table gives the band's yearly totals from fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1,448            | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2017        | 1,270            | 14 months     | 97%            |
| 2018        | 1,185            | 14 months     | 98%            |
| 2019        | 1,076            | 12 months     | 97%            |
| 2020        | 897              | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 826              | 12.3 months   | more than 99%  |
| 2022        | 934              | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2023        | 883              | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2024        | 907              | 12 months     | 98%            |
| 2025        | 905              | 10 months     | 99%            |

## Limits on These Numbers

The Sentencing Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are outside these figures. Fiscal year 2017 ran from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017.

Court-martial records rarely state the dollar value of a larceny, and they cannot be divided into this loss band. The federal records also do not give the reasons behind any single sentence.

### How We Counted

People sentenced in fiscal year 2017 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$15,001 to $95,000" (1,270), 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 $15,001 to $95,000, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000/) (overview)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2016/) (previous or next year)
- [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/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-no-loss-fy2017/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2017/) (same year, other loss band)
- [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/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000-fy2017/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-550001-to-3-5-million-fy2017/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-over-3-5-million-fy2017/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2017/) (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.