Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill sits in the Eastern District of California (EDCA) and granted a downward variance in 334 of 764 federal sentencings (43.7%) from FY2012–FY2021. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (334 below-guideline cases out of 764 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.(5K3.1) Early Disposition. Fast Track program83-42.2%
  2. 2.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)57-31.5%
  3. 3.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities40-45.7%
  4. 4.(5H1.5) Previous employment record28-45.9%
  5. 5.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)27-41.0%
  6. 6.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants21-28.0%
  7. 7.Rehabilitation19-69.7%
  8. 8.Lack of Youthful Guidance19-29.6%
  9. 9.Mule/Role in the offense16-22.4%
  10. 10.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse16-21.2%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill's 664 Zone D sentencings, 303 (45.6%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended664 cases
  • Within range
    335(50.5%)
  • Below range
    303(45.6%)
    avg −35.8% below min
  • Above range
    26(3.9%)
    avg +39.2% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Lawrence Joseph O'Neill?

Want to see what those 334 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 Lawrence Joseph O'Neill's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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