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# Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2023
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2023/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:12:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:12:24.000Z
- Description: In fiscal year 2023, 883 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a loss between $15,001 and $95,000. Of them, 529 (60%) received prison and 281 (32%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, and a quarter of those sent to prison received 2.4 months or les
- 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: FY2023

**In brief:** In fiscal year 2023, 883 people were sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a loss between $15,001 and $95,000\. Of them, 529 (60%) received prison and 281 (32%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, and a quarter of those sent to prison received 2.4 months or less.

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 883 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2023\. 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/).

## Short Terms at the Low End

The 529 prison terms in this band covered a wide span. The median was 12 months. A quarter of the group received 24 months or more, while a quarter received 2.4 months or less.

Probation only, meaning no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 281 people. The table near the end of the post shows the band's median prison term for each fiscal year, which was 12 months in fiscal year 2023.

## The Guideline Range in Fiscal Year 2023

The federal guidelines set a recommended span of months for each person, called the guideline range. Judges are required to calculate it but may sentence outside it.

Of 882 people with this information, 377 (43%) received a sentence within the range. The government requested a below-range sentence for 200 (23%). Another 288 (33%) were sentenced below the range with no government request. Just 17 (2%) were sentenced above the range.

The data records the position of each sentence. It does not include the reasons given in court.

## Trial Convictions

Guilty pleas covered 869 of the 883 people (98%), and 14 were convicted at trial. Among the guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 9% did not.

After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 12 months. After a trial, it was 19 months, based on 12 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.

A median drawn from 12 sentences is a small count, and it should not be read as a rule about trials.

## Mandatory Minimums and Prior Records

A mandatory minimum prison term, the lowest term a statute allows, applied to 91 people (10%).

The federal guidelines score each person's criminal history in categories. Category I, the lowest, held 63% of the band in fiscal year 2023\. Category VI, the highest, held 7%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Restitution and Supervised Release

Restitution, an order to repay the victims' losses, was ordered for 769 people (87%). A fine was ordered for 54 (6%).

Supervised release after prison was part of the sentence for 515 people (58%). The median supervised release term was 36 months.

## Measured Against Other Years and Other Bands

Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, this band counted 10,331 people, with 58% sent to prison and a median prison term of 12 months.

In fiscal year 2023, all §2B1.1 loss bands together counted 4,904 people. Their median prison term was 21 months, and 75% were sent to prison. Both figures were higher than this band's.

| 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%            |

## Gaps in the Records

The Sentencing Commission counts only convicted and sentenced people, so these numbers leave out acquittals and dismissals. Fiscal year 2023 ran from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.

No court-martial group can be set beside this band. Military records rarely show how much money a larceny involved.

### How We Counted

People sentenced in fiscal year 2023 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$15,001 to $95,000" (883), 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 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2022/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2024/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-no-loss-fy2023/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2023/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000-fy2023/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000-fy2023/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-550001-to-3-5-million-fy2023/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-over-3-5-million-fy2023/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2023/) (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.