Judge John E. Steele — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge John E. Steele sits in the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) and granted a downward variance in 100 of 200 federal sentencings (50.0%) from FY2012–FY2021. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge John E. Steele, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge John E. Steele grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (100 below-guideline cases out of 200 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)62-33.3%
  2. 2.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants14-37.7%
  3. 3.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities10-46.8%
  4. 4.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)7-75.6%
  5. 5.Cooperation without motion (not §5K1.1) (aggregated reason)7-52.1%
  6. 6.(5H1.5) Previous employment record6-69.7%
  7. 7.Mule/Role in the offense5-55.0%
  8. 8.(5H1.3) Mental and emotional conditions5-47.4%
  9. 9.(5H1.4) Physical condition5-43.4%
  10. 10.Cultural Assimilation5-41.2%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge John E. Steele

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge John E. Steele's 152 Zone D sentencings, 84 (55.3%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended152 cases
  • Within range
    64(42.1%)
  • Below range
    84(55.3%)
    avg −33.5% below min
  • Above range
    4(2.6%)
    avg +59.5% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge John E. Steele?

Want to see what those 100 below-guideline cases actually looked like? Just Metrics shows you the actual matched cases — same judge, same guideline chapter, same guideline range — and tells you what they did.

Just Metrics also surfaces Judge John E. Steele's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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