(May 2018) Career Offenders are persons who commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime after two prior felony convictions for those crimes. To implement the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 994(h), the sentencing guidelines assign all career offenders to Criminal History Category VI and to offense levels based on the statutory maximum penalty of the offense of conviction. See USSG §4B1.1.  In fiscal year 2017, there were 1,593 career offenders sentenced in the federal criminal justice system.