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# Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2019
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000-fy2019/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:12:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:12:26.000Z
- Description: Of 1,283 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2019 for theft or fraud with a loss of $95,001 to $550,000, 1,036 (81%) received a prison term. That share was higher than the 75% for all federal theft and fraud sentences that year. The median prison term in this band was 21 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 $95,001 to ](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000/) › $95,001 to $550,000: FY2019

**In brief:** Of 1,283 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2019 for theft or fraud with a loss of $95,001 to $550,000, 1,036 (81%) received a prison term. That share was higher than the 75% for all federal theft and fraud sentences that year. The median prison term in this band was 21 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 1,283 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](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/).

## Prison Rate in Fiscal Year 2019

The 81% prison rate counts 1,036 people out of 1,283\. A smaller group of 160 people, 12%, received probation only and no confinement.

For the band's full span of fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the prison rate was 78% across 12,709 people. The 2019 rate was higher than that figure.

Guideline §2B1.1 as a whole, every loss band included, covered 5,707 people in fiscal year 2019\. Of those, 75% went to prison. The median prison term for that wider group was 22 months.

## Length of Prison Terms

The median prison term in this band was 21 months for people sent to prison. That is the midpoint of all their terms. For the years 2016 to 2025 combined, the band's median was 20 months.

The spread was wide. One quarter of those in prison received 36 months or more. Another quarter received 12 months or less.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 170 people, or 13% of the group.

## Pleas Versus Trials

In fiscal year 2019, 1,233 people (96%) pleaded guilty. Just 50 were convicted at trial.

After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 20 months. After a trial, it was 36 months, based on 47 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. A group of 47 is small, and these records cannot explain the gap between the medians.

Written plea agreements were part of 92% of guilty pleas. The other 8% were straight pleas, made without an agreement.

## Sentences Measured Against the Guidelines

Each of the 1,283 records shows the sentence's position against the guideline range. The guideline range is the sentence the guidelines recommend before the judge decides.

Sentences below the range without a government request were the most common, at 38% (490). Sentences within the range followed at 31% (399). Below-range sentences at the government's request made up 29% (372). Only 2% (22) were above the range.

## Release, Repayment, and Record

Courts ordered supervised release after prison for 1,006 people (78%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 1,178 people (92%). A fine was ordered for 62 people (5%).

On criminal history, 71% of people in this band were in category I, the lowest category. Category VI, the highest, held 5%.

## How the Data Was Counted

These are U.S. Sentencing Commission records. They list people who were convicted and sentenced. They do not list people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed.

The $95,001 to $550,000 band follows the steps of the loss table in guideline §2B1.1\. Federal fiscal year 2019 covers October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019\. The table below gives the count, median prison term, and plea rate for each fiscal year in this band.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1,670            | 21 months     | 96%            |
| 2017        | 1,489            | 21 months     | 96%            |
| 2018        | 1,328            | 21 months     | 95%            |
| 2019        | 1,283            | 21 months     | 96%            |
| 2020        | 944              | 21 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 1,013            | 20.5 months   | 99%            |
| 2022        | 1,228            | 20.1 months   | 98%            |
| 2023        | 1,247            | 21 months     | 96%            |
| 2024        | 1,280            | 18 months     | 97%            |
| 2025        | 1,227            | 18 months     | 98%            |

## Where the Records Stop

A military comparison is not possible for this band. Court-martial records seldom record what a larceny was worth in dollars. The sentencing data also cannot show the conduct in any case or the reasons behind any sentence.

### How We Counted

People sentenced in fiscal year 2019 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "$95,001 to $550,000" (1,283), 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 $95,001 to $550,000, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000/) (overview)
- [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/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $95,001 to $550,000, Fiscal Year 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-95001-to-550000-fy2020/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-no-loss-fy2019/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less-fy2019/) (same year, other loss band)
- [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/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $15,001 to $95,000, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-15001-to-95000-fy2019/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-550001-to-3-5-million-fy2019/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-over-3-5-million-fy2019/) (same year, other loss band)
- [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2019/) (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.