Convictions for October 2025
Referring Agency: Internal Revenue Service
The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during October 2025 the government reported 52 new convictions for these matters. Those cases were referred by the Internal Revenue Service. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is down 16.1 percent over the previous month.
The comparisons of the number of defendants convicted are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (see Table 1).
When monthly 2025 convictions of this type are compared with those of the same period in the previous year, the number of convictions was only slightly up (1.4%). Convictions over the past year are still much higher than they were five years ago. Overall, the data show that convictions of this type are up 55 percent from levels reported in 2020.
Figure 1. Monthly Trends in Convictions
The increase from the levels five years ago in convictions for these matters is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of convictions of this type recorded on a month-to-month basis. Where a prosecution was initially filed in U.S. Magistrate Court and then transferred to the U.S. District Court, the magistrate filing date was used since this provides an earlier indicator of actual trends. The superimposed line on the bars plots the six-month moving average so that natural fluctuations are smoothed out. The one and five-year rates of change in Table 1 and in the sections that follow are all based upon this six-month moving average. To view trends year-by-year rather than month-by-month, see TRAC's annual report series for a broader picture.
Cases were classified by prosecutors into more specific types.
The largest number of convictions of these matters in October 2025 was for "Fraud-Tax", accounting for 50 percent of convictions. Convictions were also filed for "Fraud-Other" (15.4%), "Fraud-Federal Program" (7.7%), "Money Laundering-Other" (7.7%), "Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force" (5.8%), "Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challen" (5.8%), "Fraud-Financial Institution" (3.8%). See Figure 2.
Convictions in U.S. Magistrate Courts
Top Ranked Lead Charges
In October 2025, no defendants in cases for these matters were convicted in U.S. Magistrate Courts. These courts handle less serious misdemeanor cases, including what are called "petty offenses." In addition, complaints are sometimes filed in the magistrate courts before an indictment or information is entered. In these cases, the matter starts in the magistrate courts and later moves to the district court where subsequent proceedings take place.
Convictions in U.S. District Courts
In October 2025, 52 defendants in new cases for these matters were charged in the U.S. District Courts. In addition during October there were an additional 0 defendants whose cases moved from the magistrate courts to the U.S. district courts after an indictment or information was filed. The sections which follow cover both sets of cases and therefore cover all matters filed in district court during October.
Top Ranked Lead Charges
Table 2 shows the top lead charges recorded in the convictions of matters filed in U.S. District Court during October 2025 referred by the Internal Revenue Service.
Lead Charge Count Rank 18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US 8 1 More 26 USC 7201 - Attempt to evade or defeat tax 8 1 More 18 USC 1341 - Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles 6 3 More 18 USC 1956 - Laundering of monetary instruments 6 3 More 18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television 5 5 More 26 USC 7202 - Willful failure to collect or pay over tax 5 5 More 26 USC 7206 - Fraud and False statements 4 7 More 18 USC 1344 - Bank Fraud 2 8 More 18 USC 1960 - Prohibition of illegal money transmitting business 2 8 More 26 USC 7203 - Willful failure to file return, supply information 2 8 More Table 2. Top Charges for Convictions
"Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US" (Title 18 U.S.C Section 371) and "Attempt to evade or defeat tax" (Title 26 U.S.C Section 7201) were the most frequent recorded lead charges.
Ranked 3rd were "Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1341 and "Laundering of monetary instruments" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 1956.
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
In October 2025 the Justice Department's case-by-case records show that the government obtained 18.3 convictions for every ten million people in the United States.
Understandably, there is great variation in the number of convictions in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
The districts registering the largest number of convictions of this type last month are shown in Table 3.
The Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) — with 7 convictions — was the most active during October 2025.
The Southern District of Iowa (Des Moines) ranked 2nd.
Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham) is now ranking 3rd.
Top Ranked District Judges
At any one time, there are about 680 federal District Court judges working in the United States. The judges recorded with the largest number of new crime cases resulting in convictions of this type during October 2025 are shown in Table 4.
Judge Count Rank Ebinger, Rebecca Goodgame Iowa, S 6 1 More Haikala, Madeline H. Ala, N 3 2 More Leitman, Matthew Frederick Mich, E 3 2 More Kearney, Mark A. Penn, E 3 2 More Leeson, Joseph F., Jr. Penn, E 3 2 More Menendez, Katherine M. Minnesota 2 6 More Flanagan, Louise W. N Car, E 2 6 More Dlott, Susan J. Ohio, S 2 6 More Sam, David Utah 2 6 More Groh, Gina Marie W Virg, N 2 6 More Table 4. Top Ten Judges
All 10 of the "top ten" judges were in districts which were in the top ten with the largest number of convictions.
Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger in the Southern District of Iowa (Des Moines) ranked 1st with 6 convicted in convictions.
Judges Madeline H. Haikala in the Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham), Matthew Frederick Leitman in the Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit), Mark A. Kearney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and Joseph F. Leeson, Jr. in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) ranked 2nd with 3 convicted in convictions.
Report Generated: February 19, 2026
