Fraud/Financial · National · FY2015–FY2025
Bribery/Corruption
75% of classifiable Bribery/Corruption sentences landed below the guideline range - common below-guideline share (> 66%).
- 25.6
- Avg months FY2025
- well below the national average
- 310
- Federal cases
- 23%
- Within guidelines
- low guideline adherence
- 83%
- Guilty plea
Departure profile · Bribery FY2025
75% of classifiable Bribery/Corruption outcomes landed below guidelines (common below-guideline share (> 66%)). Case-level mean OL 0.6 · mean CH 0.45 across 310 USSC rows, the departure share is the sheet signature.
The verdict
According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission FY2025 Individual Offender Datafiles, Bribery/Corruption ranks #17 of 30 by caseload (310 cases) and #17 of 30 by average sentence (25.6 months).
- #17
- Caseload of 30
- #17
- Avg sentence of 30
- 25.6 months
- This offense avg FY2025
- 310
- This offense cases FY2025
Caseload rank covers every district with at least one FY case. Average-sentence rank covers districts with at least 100 cases so a thin docket cannot top the list. Offense ranks cover the 30 published guideline types. Averages follow offense mix, not court character.
Bribery FY2024→FY2025: +2.7 mo
| Year | Cases | Avg (mo) | GL Min | GL Max | Within GL | Above GL | Below GL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 310 | 25.6 | 43.3 | 50.5 | 23% | 2% | 75% |
| FY2024 | 362 | 22.9 | 38.1 | 45.4 | 19% | 1% | 80% |
| FY2023 | 366 | 26.4 | 42.0 | 49.4 | 23% | 1% | 76% |
| FY2022 | 360 | 24.0 | 45.3 | 56.5 | 18% | 1% | 81% |
| FY2021 | 247 | 25.6 | 38.8 | 47.2 | 22% | 1% | 78% |
| FY2020 | 239 | 21.5 | 37.5 | 47.3 | 15% | 1% | 84% |
| FY2019 | 341 | 28.5 | 41.1 | 49.0 | 18% | 2% | 80% |
| FY2018 | 317 | 28.9 | 39.7 | 47.7 | 24% | 2% | 74% |
Bribery · hardest district slice
Among districts with ≥5 FY2025 cases, Southern California posts the longest average (90.0 mo, 3 cases , +251.6% vs national).
Where bribery/corruption sentences sit among all federal sentences (FY2025)
Each bar counts imposed federal prison terms in that length band; the marker is this offense's average.
26 54th percentile longer than 54% of 61,431 federal sentences
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more federal sentences. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles · FY2025
Bribery/Corruption - Top District Disparities (FY2025)
District Comparison (FY2025)
Districts with ≥5 FY2025 Bribery/Corruption cases. Averages still mix case factors (history, quantity, cooperation).
| District | Cases | Avg (mo) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | 3 | 90.0 | +251.6% |
| Eastern North Carolina | 5 | 78.6 | +207.1% |
| Western Virginia | 4 | 69.0 | +169.5% |
| South Carolina | 2 | 60.0 | +134.4% |
| Central California | 24 | 54.5 | +112.9% |
| Northern Alabama | 4 | 45.8 | +78.7% |
| Western Texas | 6 | 42.8 | +67.0% |
| Maryland | 6 | 41.7 | +63.0% |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | 5 | 39.8 | +55.3% |
| Eastern Missouri | 3 | 39.0 | +52.3% |
| Northern Texas | 9 | 33.5 | +30.9% |
| Southern Mississippi | 2 | 33.5 | +30.9% |
| Middle Florida | 12 | 33.4 | +30.6% |
| Eastern Arkansas | 1 | 33.0 | +28.9% |
| District of Columbia | 8 | 30.0 | +17.2% |
| Arizona | 1 | 30.0 | +17.2% |
| Northern Illinois | 19 | 28.7 | +12.2% |
| Northern Ohio | 3 | 28.0 | +9.4% |
| Western Louisiana | 1 | 27.0 | +5.5% |
| Southern Florida | 8 | 26.0 | +1.6% |
Nationwide peers · caseload or average sentence
Similar FY caseload
Nearest by ABS(310 cases).
- Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses · 325 cases · Sex Offenses
- Stalking/Harassing · 287 cases · Violent Crime
- Murder · 405 cases · Violent Crime
- Tax · 407 cases · Fraud/Financial
Similar average sentence
Nearest nationwide offense types by ABS(25.6 mo here; ≥50-case types).
- Burglary/Trespass · 27.4 mo avg · Other
- Tax · 22.4 mo avg · Fraud/Financial
- Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement · 29.0 mo avg · Fraud/Financial
- Forgery/Counterfeiting/Copyright · 22.2 mo avg · Fraud/Financial
Same-category peers · Fraud/Financial
Source: United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025 · Methodology
What the Bribery/Corruption data shows
In FY2025, 310 federal defendants were sentenced for bribery/corruption, with an average sentence of 25.6 months -- 26.3 months below the national average across all offenses.
- 23% of bribery/corruption sentences in FY2025 fell within the guideline range, with 75% below (downward departures or variances, often for cooperation). The below-range rate reflects how frequently prosecutors offer departure motions for substantial assistance. How the guidelines work
- The highest-average district for bribery/corruption in FY2025 was Southern California, averaging 90.0 months -- 64.4 months above the national average. Case-specific factors within this offense (criminal history, quantity or aggravating circumstances, cooperation) drive that gap as much as any district-level pattern; the comparison below shows the full spread. Southern California data
- The average sentence for bribery/corruption has fallen 3.3 months since FY2018 (FY2018: 28.9 mo; FY2025: 25.6 mo). The trend chart above compares actual sentences against the guideline midpoint each year. Post-Booker sentencing trends
Descriptive USSC aggregates, not legal advice; individual sentences depend on case-specific facts.
PlainSentencing is rendered directly from the United States Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data issue on this page.