> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With the Loss Amount Not Specified, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified/ - Published: 2026-11-03T01:38:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T06:12:58.000Z - Description: The 10,086 people sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud in a band called loss not specified are cases where the records show a loss with no amount. In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 7,424 (74%) received a prison term, with a median of 20 months. These cannot be placed in a dollar band. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-dollar-loss-vs-article-121/) › Loss: loss not specified **In brief:** The 10,086 people sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud in a band called loss not specified are cases where the records show a loss with no amount. In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 7,424 (74%) received a prison term, with a median of 20 months. These cannot be placed in a dollar band. Updated November 2, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 10,086 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](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/). ## What Does Loss Not Specified Mean? The records for 10,086 people under guideline §2B1.1 show that a loss existed but give no dollar amount. These people cannot be sorted into the other dollar bands. That makes this group a mixture. Its sentences cannot be read as typical of any one loss size. Because of that, this band should be read apart from the others. Its median of 20 months is close to the 21 months for all §2B1.1 cases, but a similar number does not mean a similar mix of cases. ## What Sentences Did This Group Receive? Prison went to 7,424 people (74%), and 2,100 (21%) received probation only with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 20 months. A quarter received 40 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. All §2B1.1 cases had a median of 21 months, and 73% were sent to prison. The prison share and the median are close to the all-case figures. ## How Did Pleas and Trials Compare? There were 9,624 guilty pleas (95%) and 462 convictions after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 18 months. After a trial it was 48 months, based on 427 people. Among guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 8% had no agreement. A trial conviction means the person was found guilty after a contested case instead of pleading guilty. The trial median is higher than the plea median, and the records cannot show the reason. ## What Was the Position Against the Guideline Range? Of 10,081 people with the information, 44% (4,408) were within the range. Below the range at the government's request was 26% (2,660), and below it without a government request was 27% (2,686). Above the range was 3% (327). A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,086 (11%). The guideline range is the span of sentences calculated from the loss and other facts. A sentence within the range is the default outcome. A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute that a judge must impose unless an exception applies. ## What Orders Followed Prison? Supervised release was ordered for 7,062 people (70%), with a median term of 36 months. 3 people (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. Restitution was ordered for 6,594 (65%), and a fine for 1,113 (11%). In the criminal history data, 70% were in the lowest category and 5% in the highest. ## How Did It Change From Year to Year? The count was 1,240 in fiscal year 2016 and 715 in fiscal year 2020\. It was 870 in fiscal year 2025\. The median prison term was 24 months from fiscal years 2016 to 2018 and 16.9 months in fiscal year 2021. Guilty pleas were 95% or higher every year. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 1,240 | 24 months | 95% | | 2017 | 1,064 | 24 months | 95% | | 2018 | 1,242 | 24 months | 95% | | 2019 | 1,244 | 20 months | 96% | | 2020 | 715 | 18 months | 96% | | 2021 | 834 | 16.9 months | 97% | | 2022 | 1,062 | 18 months | 95% | | 2023 | 907 | 18 months | 95% | | 2024 | 908 | 21 months | 95% | | 2025 | 870 | 18 months | 96% | ## What Do the Records Not Show? The missing amount means the data cannot say whether these were small or large losses. Court-martial records also rarely show the value of a larceny, so no court-martial comparison is possible. The data count only convicted people. ### How We Counted People sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under guideline §2B1.1 whose recorded dollar loss falls in the band "loss not specified" (10,086), 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. ### More Detail By fiscal year: [2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2016/) · [2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2017/) · [2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2018/) · [2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2019/) · [2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2020/) · [2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2021/) · [2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2022/) · [2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2023/) · [2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2024/) · [2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-not-specified-fy2025/). ## 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) - [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/) (overview) - [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-no-loss/) - [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,000 or Less, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1000-or-less/) - [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $1,001 to $15,000, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-1001-to-15000/) - [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/) - [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/) - [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss of $550,001 to $3.5 Million, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-550001-to-3-5-million/) - [Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With a Loss Over $3.5 Million, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-loss-over-3-5-million/) - [Army Article 121 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Article 121 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-sent-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Fighting an Army Larceny Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-acq-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Guilty Pleas in Army Larceny Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-plea-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) - [What Sentence Follows an Air Force Larceny Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-121-sent-2016-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Pleading Guilty to Article 121 in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-121-plea-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 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-121-sent-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 121 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-121-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Larceny Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-121-plea-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.