Marshall Division (Longview area)
Federal Sentencing in Gregg County (Longview) — Facts, Myths & Figures
Gregg County — home to Longview and Kilgore — sits inside the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas. Federal defendants from Longview are typically prosecuted in the Sam B. Hall Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Marshall, about 25 miles east.
Quick facts
- Federal court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas — Marshall Division
- Courthouse
- Sam B. Hall Jr. Federal Building, 100 E. Houston St., Marshall, TX
- County seat
- Longview
- Population (est.)
- About 125,000
- Most common federal charges
- Drug distribution, firearms, oilfield theft, wire fraud
Why Longview cases are heard in Marshall
The Eastern District assigns venue by division, not by county line. Gregg County falls within the Marshall Division, so an offense committed in Longview is indicted and sentenced in Marshall unless the parties agree to transfer.
The Marshall Division has one of the busiest patent dockets in the country, but on the criminal side it looks much like the rest of East Texas: meth, guns, and financial fraud.
Guideline calculation in fraud cases
For wire fraud and oilfield-equipment theft, the loss table in §2B1.1 is the biggest driver. A $150,000 loss adds 10 levels to the base of 6 or 7, before adjustments for role, sophisticated means, or number of victims.
Restitution under 18 U.S.C. §3663A is mandatory in most fraud cases. Judges in the Marshall Division routinely require a nominal monthly payment during any term of supervised release.
Myths vs. reality
Myth: Restitution can be discharged in bankruptcy after the case is over.
Reality: Criminal restitution ordered under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act is not dischargeable in bankruptcy. It survives until paid.
Myth: If the loss amount is disputed, the government has to prove the highest number.
Reality: Under §2B1.1 the court needs only a reasonable estimate of loss, proven by a preponderance of the evidence — a lower bar than beyond a reasonable doubt.
Figures worth knowing
- Base offense level for wire fraud (§2B1.1)6 or 7
- Loss increase at $150,000+10 levels
- Loss increase at $1.5 million+16 levels
- Average federal fraud sentence (FY 2023, U.S.)≈ 23 months(U.S. Sentencing Commission)
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