The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are guidelines used by the federal court to determine what your sentence is going to be after you've been found guilty, either by pleading guilty or being found guilty at trial. They're not mandatory. They used to be mandatory, now they're only advisory, so the court doesn't have to follow them. However, it's very important that you have an attorney who understands the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and how they apply to your case, because more than 75% of the time, the judge still uses the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in determining what your sentence is going to be. They vary from case to case, different types of cases, and they're kind of merged with whatever criminal past that you have, but it's very important to contact an attorney that understands the complexity of these guidelines.
