No. Federal courts sentence according to federal sentencing guidelines. Minnesota is somewhat unique in that we have created our own set of sentencing guidelines for our state courts. These guidelines are not mandatory, but they advise judges on a recommended sentence range based upon the specific circumstances of your offense. They take into account the specific offense, your conduct, and the victim(s), along with many other circumstances that could warrant a more or less severe sentence. Minnesota’s guidelines and the federal guidelines are very different however. The offenses themselves are very different in state versus federal court. In addition, federal courts tend to impose more severe sentences for first time offenders. This is especially true in Minnesota because we are a state that tends to favor probation over incarceration for a first time offense.