Judge Mary A. McLaughlin
September 2012: Average Prison Sentence

District Court - Pennsylvania East

Show Details   Judge Compared
To District
Compared
To U.S.
Latest Fiscal Year 51.6 -21.8% 10.9%
Previous Fiscal Year 47.7 -32.7% 3.8%
Past 5 Years 55.1 -18.7% 14.1%

Table 1: Current and 5 Year
Average Prison Sentence Comparison

For all cases disposed of in the current fiscal year (2012) that were credited to Judge Mary A. McLaughlin in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the average prison sentence was 51.6 months. This number is 21.8% lower than the average prison sentence for all the Eastern District of Pennsylvania matters disposed in the same period. At the same time, the judge's average prison sentence was 10.9% higher than the typical 2012 sentence for the nation as a whole. During the current fiscal year, Judge Mary A. McLaughlin has sentenced 40 defendants compared with 60 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year.

Focusing on a five-year period, the average prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge McLaughlin was 55.1 months. This was 18.7% lower than the 67.8 months typical in Pennsylvania East and 14.1% higher than the 48.3 months average prison sentence for the nation. Judge Mary A. McLaughlin sentenced 207 defendants during the past five years.

(CAUTION: The kinds of cases handled by individual judges influences statistical information about their sentences. It therefore is important to consider the breakdown of cases that each has handled, available below, when making judge-by-judge comparisons.)

Bar chart of start

Figure 1: Five Year Comparison of Average Prison Sentence
in Months

Figure 1 compares Judge McLaughlin's numbers to those for judges in this district and in the United States as a whole for cases of this type over the last five years.

During the last five years there were 26 other judges in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with information on convictions during that period. Average prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 34.2 months to 102.4 months, putting Judge McLaughlin's average prison sentence of 55.1 months at the lower end of the range. The average prison sentence for the whole Eastern District of Pennsylvania during that time was 67.8 months.

Bar chart of label

Figure 2: Detailed Comparison among Judges for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Professional Biography

Born 1946 in Philadelphia, PA

Federal Judicial Service
Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Nominated by William J. Clinton on March 13, 2000, to a seat vacated by Marvin Katz; Confirmed by the Senate on May 24, 2000, and received commission on May 31, 2000.

Education:
Gwynedd-Mercy College, B.A., 1968
Bryn Mawr College, M.A., 1969
University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 1976

Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Stanley Brotman, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1976-1977
Private practice, 1977-1980
Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia, 1980-1984
Assistant professor, Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1984-1986
Private practice, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1986-2000
Adjunct professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1988
Adjunct professor, Rutgers University School of Law, 1989
Chief counsel, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, 1995

Program Areas of Cases Handled

Cases disposed of by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin for the past five years fell into a number of broad categories. The lead category for these cases was Narcotics/Drugs accounting for 23.7% of cases.

Other major categories with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin over the past five years were: Weapons (20.8%), White Collar Crime (19.8%), Other (12.1%), Immigration (8.2%), Withheld by Govt from TRAC (4.3%), National Internal Security/Terrorism (3.9%), Government Regulatory (3.4%).

Program Area Judge District US  
Narcotics/Drugs 23.7% 26.1% 28.5% More
Weapons 20.8% 23.8% 9.2% More
White Collar Crime 19.8% 18.9% 8.9% More
Other 12.1% 12.1% 10.4% More
Immigration 8.2% 9.1% 33.2% More
Not specified 4.3% 1.6% 6.2%  
National Internal Security/Terrorism 3.9% 0.8% 0.3%  
Government Regulatory 3.4% 4.4% 1.7%  
Official Corruption 2.4% 1.3% 0.7%  
Organized Crime 1.4% 1.4% 0.5%  

Table 2: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Lead Investigative Agencies in Cases Handled

The lead investigative agency that referred cases disposed of by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin for the past five years was the Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation. It accounted for 28.5% of all cases.

Other agencies with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin over the past five years were: Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (17.4%), Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration (15.0%), Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) (14.5%), Homeland Security - Secret Service (formerly Treasury) (7.2%), Postal Service (6.8%), Treasury - Internal Revenue Service (3.9%).

Agency Judge District US  
Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation 28.5% 34.9% 13.9% More
Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement 17.4% 12.9% 20.2% More
Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration 15.0% 14.6% 16.3% More
Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) 14.5% 17.3% 10.6% More
Homeland Security - Secret Service (formerly Treasury) 7.2% 6.3% 2.8% More
Postal Service 6.8% 4.7% 2.5% More
Treasury - Internal Revenue Service 3.9% 2.5% 1.4%  
Homeland Security - Citizen and Immigration Services 2.4% 0.3% 1.5%  
Justice - US Marshals Service 1.0% 0.6% 0.9%  
Defense 0.5% 0.2% 0.4%  

Table 3: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Lead Charges in Cases Handled

The lead charge with the most cases disposed of by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin for the past five years was "18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US". It accounted for 20.3% of all cases.

Other lead charges with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin over the past five years were: "21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" (15.9%), "21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy" (13.0%), "18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts" (6.3%), "18 USC 1951 - Hobbs Act" (4.8%), "18 USC 1029 - Fraud and related activity - access devices" (4.3%), "18 USC 2252 - Material involving sexual exploitation of minors" (4.3%), "Withheld by govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending)" (4.3%), "08 USC 1326 - Reentry of deported alien" (3.9%).

Lead Charge Judge District US  
18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US 20.3% 13.9% 1.4% More
21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A 15.9% 12.3% 15.0% More
21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy 13.0% 19.2% 10.7% More
18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts 6.3% 7.8% 7.8% More
18 USC 1951 - Hobbs Act 4.8% 6.5% 0.7% More
18 USC 1029 - Fraud and related activity - access devices 4.3% 1.4% 0.6%  
18 USC 2252 - Material involving sexual exploitation of minors 4.3% 2.1% 1.6%  
Not specified 4.3% 1.6% 6.2%  
08 USC 1326 - Reentry of deported alien 3.9% 6.8% 25.1%  
18 USC 924 - Firearms; Penalties 2.9% 2.3% 0.6%  

Table 4: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Number of Defendants in Judge Mary A. McLaughlin's Cases

Case Def. Sentence (Months) Sentencing Date Program Category  
1 1 30.00 09/25/12 Drugs-Drug Trafficking Details
2 1 18.00 09/19/12 Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) Details
3 1 14.00 09/13/12 Counterfeiting and Forgery Details
4 1 150.00 09/07/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
5 1 0.00 09/06/12 Fraud-Tax Details
6 1 102.00 08/30/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
6 2 94.00 08/30/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
7 1 128.00 08/09/12 Bank Robbery Details
3 4 10.00 08/01/12 Counterfeiting and Forgery Details
4 2 300.00 07/19/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
8 1 0.03 07/17/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
9 1 180.00 07/12/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
3 2 0.01 07/11/12 Counterfeiting and Forgery Details
3 3 18.00 07/10/12 Counterfeiting and Forgery Details
10 1 0.01 07/03/12 Fraud-Financial Institution Details
11 1 32.00 06/12/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
7 2 20.00 06/12/12 Bank Robbery Details
12 1 46.01 06/07/12 Immigration Details
13 1 0.01 06/05/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
14 1 24.00 05/31/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
15 1 97.00 05/24/12 Organized Crime-Emerging Organization Details
16 1 0.03 05/10/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
17 1 0.00 05/07/12 Court and Admin of Justice Offenses Details
18 1 60.00 05/01/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
6 3 33.00 04/17/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
19 1 0.01 03/30/12 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
20 1 30.00 03/23/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
6 4 30.00 02/14/12 Fraud-Identity Theft-Aggravated Details
21 1 6.00 02/02/12 Drugs-Drug Trafficking Details
22 1 8.01 01/24/12 Immigration Details
23 1 180.00 01/11/12 Project Safe Childhood Details
24 1 180.00 12/13/11 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
25 1 30.00 12/12/11 Immigration Details
26 1 96.00 12/07/11 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
27 1 12.03 12/06/11 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
27 2 8.00 12/06/11 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
28 1 12.03 11/29/11 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
29 1 46.00 11/04/11 Fraud-Mortgage Details
30 1 70.00 11/03/11 Project Safe Childhood Details
31 1 0.00 10/11/11 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details

Table 5: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year