N.D. Ill. · TaxFY2018–FY2025

Districts › Northern District of Illinois

Tax in the Northern District of Illinois

Q: What is the typical sentence for tax offences in the Northern District of Illinois?

The median prison term over FY2018–FY2025 was 12 months (1 year), with the middle half of terms between 6 and 24 months. 66% of cases carried a prison term. The national median for tax offences is 15 months.

Q: How does this compare with the rest of the country?

Nationally, tax offences had a median prison term of 15 months and a within-range share of 24% over the same period. The district's figures are below on median term and null the national within-range share.

Q: Which guidelines are involved?

The most common primary guidelines for these cases are §none, §2T1.1 and §2T1.4.

Q: Is this a prediction for a particular case?

No. The figures are aggregates of sentences already imposed, as recorded by the US Sentencing Commission. They are not legal advice and do not estimate the outcome of any case.

N.D. Ill. · Seventh Circuit · Tax nationally

The datafile contains cases reported to the Commission with sentencing documents. Sentence length statistics use the Commission's capped variable (sentences of 470 months or longer, including life, are recorded as 470 months) and exclude sentences of probation or a fine only. Figures are aggregates of past cases and are not a prediction for any case.

10cases, FY2025107 over FY2018–FY2025

12median prison monthsnational, this offence: 15

—within guideline rangenational 24%

66%cases with a prison termnational 66%

§ 1Length of prison terms

21%

17%

37%

15%

<10

median 12 mo

under 6 mo6–11 mo1–2 yr2–3 yr3–5 yr5–10 yr10–15 yr15–20 yr20–30 yr30 yr+life

Share of cases with a prison term, by length of the term (71 cases with a prison term; life and terms of 470 months or more counted as life). Grey: tax offences nationally.

Interquartile range 6–24 months; mean 15. 0 cases at the Commission's 470-month cap (life or longer).

§ 2Summary

107 tax offences were sentenced in the Northern District of Illinois across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 10 of them in FY2025; that is 2% of the district's caseload.

The median prison term was 12 months (1 year), shorter than the national median for tax offences (15 months) and close to the Seventh Circuit median (12). Half of prison terms fell between 6 and 24 months; 66% of cases carried a prison term.

FY2025 had fewer cases than FY2018 (10 against 23).

These are aggregates of past cases. The guideline range for any case depends on its offence level, criminal history and statutory minimums, and the sentence on the court's findings; no figure here estimates an outcome.

§ 3Position relative to the guideline range

Within guideline range <10Above range 0%Below range, government sponsored 18%Below range, other 74%Not determinable 0

§ 4Compared with the district, the circuit and the nation

Measure	N.D. Ill., tax	N.D. Ill., all offences	7th Cir., tax	US, tax
Cases per fiscal year	13	616	30	463
Share of district caseload	2.2%	100%	—	—
Median prison months	12	44	12	15
Mean prison months	15	62	—	22
Cases with a prison term	66%	91%	68%	66%
Within guideline range	—	30%	16%	24%
Above range	0%	3%	0%	1%
Below range, government sponsored	18%	17%	20%	27%
Below range, other	74%	51%	65%	48%
Median final offence level	17	21	—	15

§ 5Trend by fiscal year

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Tax cases sentenced per fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)

—

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Median prison months by fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)

Fiscal year	Cases	Prison	Median months	Within range	Below, gov.	Below, other	Above
FY2018	23	—	10	—	—	91%	0%
FY2019	16	—	—	—	—	88%	0%
FY2020	10	—	—	—	—	—	0%
FY2021	15	—	15	—	—	73%	0%
FY2022	10	—	—	—	—	—	0%
FY2023	11	—	—	—	0%	91%	0%
FY2024	12	—	—	0%	—	—	0%
FY2025	10	—	—	—	—	—	0%

§ 6Criminal history

Category I83% · 85%

Category II<10

Category III10% · 5%

Category IV<10

Category V0% · 1%

Category VI0% · 1%

Share of cases at each final criminal history category; grey figure: tax offences nationally.

§ 7Guidelines applied

§none · 89 cases in the district (all offence types)
§2T1.1 Tax evasion; fraudulent or false returns · 76 cases in the district (all offence types)
§2T1.4 Aiding, assisting or advising tax fraud · 27 cases in the district (all offence types)
§2T1.6 · <10 cases in the district (all offence types)
§2T3.1 Evading import duties or restrictions · <10 cases in the district (all offence types)

Primary guidelines the Commission associates with this offence type, with the district's caseload under each across all offence types.

§ 8Questions and answers

What is the typical sentence for tax offences in the Northern District of Illinois?

The median prison term over FY2018–FY2025 was 12 months (1 year), with the middle half of terms between 6 and 24 months. 66% of cases carried a prison term. The national median for tax offences is 15 months.

How often are tax offences sentenced below the guideline range here?

Not enough cases to show.

How does this compare with the rest of the country?

Nationally, tax offences had a median prison term of 15 months and a within-range share of 24% over the same period. The district's figures are below on median term and null the national within-range share.

Which guidelines are involved?

The most common primary guidelines for these cases are §none, §2T1.1 and §2T1.4.

Is this a prediction for a particular case?

No. The figures are aggregates of sentences already imposed, as recorded by the US Sentencing Commission. They are not legal advice and do not estimate the outcome of any case.

§ 9Other offence types in the Northern District of Illinois

§ 10Provenance

Source: United States Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles, fiscal years 2018–2025 (US government works), aggregated by this site; the FY2025 file is dated 29 Apr 2026. Offence type is the Commission's OFFGUIDE code 29; district is CIRCDIST 47. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.