Overview of Federal Criminal Cases, Fiscal Year 2019

Summary

FY 2018 Overview of Federal Criminal CasesThe United States Sentencing Commission received information on 76,656 federal criminal cases in which the offender was sentenced in fiscal year 2019. Among these cases, 76,538 involved an individual offender and 118 involved a corporation or other “organizational” offender. The Commission also received information on 5,139 cases in which the court resentenced the offender or otherwise modified the sentence that had been previously imposed. This publication provides an overview of these cases.

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Highlights

A review of cases reported to the Commission in fiscal year 2019 reveal the following:

  • The 76,538 individual original cases reported to the Commission in fiscal year 2019 represent an increase of 7,113 (10.2%) cases from fiscal year 2018, the second consecutive annual increase.
  • Cases involving drugs, immigration, firearms, and fraud, theft, or embezzlement accounted for 84.4% of all cases reported to the Commission.
  • Immigration cases were the most common federal crimes in fiscal year 2019 (38.4%). This number is a 22.9% increase from fiscal year 2018.
  • While drug possession cases continued a five-year downward trend, decreasing 27.5% from fiscal year 2018, the number of drug trafficking cases increased for the first time in the past five years—rising 5.8%.
  • Methamphetamine offenses were the most common drug cases. The 8,467 methamphetamine cases represented 42.2% of all drug crimes.