Examples of criminal laws in the United States fall into a handful of broad categories: crimes against people, property crimes, white-collar and financial crimes, drug crimes, cybercrimes, public order offenses, and regulatory violations. Each category contains dozens of specific offenses, and each offense carries its own penalty range set by statute. What follows is a working tour of the most common charges, what conduct they cover, and what a conviction can cost.
How Crimes Are Classified
Before the specific offenses make sense, the tier system matters. Every criminal charge in the country sits in one of three broad classes, and the class controls the maximum punishment.
Infractions are the least serious. Traffic tickets and minor municipal code violations fit here, and they rarely carry jail time. Misdemeanors are mid-level offenses punishable by up to one year in a local jail; that one-year line is the most common cutoff between misdemeanor and felony across the country.1National Conference of State Legislatures. Brief Misdemeanor Sentencing Trends Felonies are the most serious, carrying more than a year in state or federal prison, and many of them trigger lasting consequences like losing the right to vote or own firearms.
Within each tier, jurisdictions add subcategories. A Class A misdemeanor outranks a Class B. A first-degree felony outranks a second-degree. These subdivisions set the actual sentencing bounds for a given case.
Crimes Against a Person
These are the offenses that involve violence or the threat of violence against another human being. The penalties are among the harshest in the criminal code because the harm is physical and often permanent.
Murder and Manslaughter
Federal law defines murder as the unlawful killing of another person with malice aforethought, meaning the killer intended to cause death or acted with extreme recklessness about human life. First-degree murder requires premeditation and carries life in prison or the death penalty.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1111 – Murder Second-degree murder, where the killing was intentional but not planned, can also result in life imprisonment.
Manslaughter sits a step below. Voluntary manslaughter covers killings in the heat of passion and carries up to 15 years in federal prison. Involuntary manslaughter, where death results from criminal negligence rather than intent, carries up to 8 years.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1112 – Manslaughter
Assault
Assault covers a wide range of conduct, from threats to attacks that leave lasting injury. Federal law breaks the offense into tiers based on severity. Simple assault, the lowest, carries up to six months in jail. Assault with a dangerous weapon jumps to a maximum of ten years. Assault with intent to commit murder can bring twenty.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 113 – Assaults Within Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction
Kidnapping
Kidnapping means seizing or confining someone against their will. It becomes a federal crime when the victim is transported across state lines, or when the perpetrator uses interstate communication in carrying out the offense. Federal kidnapping carries a potential life sentence. If the victim dies, the penalty can include the death sentence.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1201 – Kidnapping
Property Crimes
Property crimes target what someone owns rather than the person themselves. Severity generally scales with the dollar value involved and whether anyone was put in physical danger.
Theft and Larceny
Theft is the most straightforward property offense: taking someone else’s belongings with no intent to return them. Most jurisdictions split it into two levels. Petty theft covers lower-value items and is usually a misdemeanor. Grand theft applies to higher-value property and is often a felony. The dollar threshold varies widely by state, running roughly from $500 to $2,500. Since 2000, at least 37 states have raised their thresholds to reflect changes in the value of goods over time.6The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Effects of Changing Felony Theft Thresholds
Burglary
Burglary is not theft. The crime is unauthorized entry into a building with intent to commit an offense inside. Even if nothing gets taken, the act of breaking in is enough for a conviction. Penalties climb significantly when the building is a home rather than a commercial property because the risk of a violent confrontation is higher. Sentences vary by state and can run from a few years for an empty commercial building to well over a decade for entering an occupied home.
Arson
Arson means intentionally setting fire to property. At the federal level, destroying or damaging property used in interstate commerce by fire or explosives carries a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20. If someone is injured, the minimum rises to 7 years and the maximum to 40. If anyone dies, the sentence can include life imprisonment or the death penalty.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 844 – Penalties
Identity Theft
Using someone else’s identification to commit fraud carries up to 15 years in federal prison, or up to 20 years when the theft is tied to drug trafficking or a violent crime.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1028 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection With Identification Documents
A separate federal statute covers aggravated identity theft: using stolen identification during the commission of another felony. A conviction adds a mandatory two years of prison time on top of the sentence for the underlying crime, and the judge cannot substitute probation or run the sentences concurrently.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1028A – Aggravated Identity Theft
White-Collar and Financial Crimes
White-collar crimes cause harm through deception rather than force. The damage is financial, and it can be enormous. A single fraud scheme can wipe out retirement savings for thousands of people, which is one reason federal penalties in this area are steep.
Wire Fraud
Wire fraud is one of the broadest tools federal prosecutors have. The offense covers any scheme to defraud using electronic communications: email, phone calls, text messages, or wire transfers. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for an individual.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1343 – Fraud by Wire, Radio, or Television11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3571 – Sentence of Fine When the fraud targets a financial institution or exploits a presidentially declared disaster, the ceiling rises to 30 years and $1 million.
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is theft by someone who was trusted with the money. An employee skimming from company accounts, a financial advisor redirecting client funds, or a treasurer draining a nonprofit’s reserves all fit here. What separates embezzlement from ordinary theft is that the perpetrator had lawful access to the property before diverting it. Federal penalties depend on the amount taken and the type of institution involved, but convictions frequently carry years of prison time plus full restitution.
Insider Trading
Insider trading is buying or selling stock based on confidential information the public does not have. A corporate officer dumping shares before a bad earnings report, or a friend acting on a merger tip, both fit the pattern. The maximum criminal sentence is 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine for individuals. On top of that, the SEC can pursue a civil penalty of up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided.12Securities and Exchange Commission. Insider Trading Policy – Penalties and Sanctions
Money Laundering
Money laundering is the process of making illegally obtained money look legitimate, usually by moving funds through a series of transactions or businesses to disguise the criminal origin. Federal law punishes it with up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds, whichever is greater.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1956 – Laundering of Monetary Instruments Laundering charges are usually stacked on top of the underlying crime that generated the money, so total sentences can be very long.
Drug Crimes
Federal drug enforcement runs on the Controlled Substances Act, which makes it illegal to manufacture, distribute, or possess controlled substances without authorization.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 21 USC 841 – Prohibited Acts A Severity depends on two things above all: the type of drug and the quantity involved.
For large-scale distribution, the statute sets mandatory minimums that judges cannot go below. The highest tier requires at least 10 years for quantities like 1 kilogram of heroin, 5 kilograms of cocaine, or 280 grams of crack. A second tier sets a 5-year minimum for smaller but still substantial quantities, such as 100 grams of heroin, 500 grams of cocaine, or 5 grams of methamphetamine.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 21 USC 841 – Prohibited Acts A If someone dies or suffers serious injury from the drugs, the minimum doubles.
Simple possession for personal use carries much lighter penalties, but repeat offenses escalate fast. The line between “possession” and “possession with intent to distribute” often comes down to the quantity seized and the presence of packaging materials, scales, or large amounts of cash.
Cybercrimes
The federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act covers unauthorized access to computers and networks. Prosecutors reach for this statute in hacking cases, data breaches, and ransomware attacks. Penalties scale with the intrusion’s seriousness and what was targeted.
Accessing a computer without authorization to steal financial records, government data, or information from any protected computer carries up to 5 years for a first offense and up to 10 for a repeat. When the unauthorized access is done for commercial gain or to further another crime, the 5-year maximum applies even on a first offense. Intentionally damaging a computer through malware or similar attacks can carry up to 10 years. At the top end, accessing classified national defense information through a compromised system is punishable by up to 10 years on a first offense and 20 on a second.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1030 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection With Computers
Cybercrime counts are frequently paired with wire fraud, identity theft, or conspiracy charges, and the stacking can push total exposure well past what the computer fraud statute alone would produce.
Public Order Crimes
Public order offenses do not always have a specific individual victim. They target behavior that disrupts shared spaces or creates a danger to the community at large.
Driving Under the Influence
DUI is one of the most commonly prosecuted offenses in the country. First-time offenders typically face a license suspension of around six months, mandatory alcohol education, and fines that can run from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the jurisdiction. Penalties escalate sharply with repeat offenses or high blood-alcohol levels. A second or third DUI in many states triggers mandatory jail time, longer license revocations, and ignition interlock requirements.
Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication
Disorderly conduct is a catch-all charge for behavior that disturbs the peace: fighting, excessive noise, blocking traffic. Public intoxication laws target people whose impairment poses a danger to themselves or others. Both are typically misdemeanors carrying short-term detention, fines, or community service. Minor as they seem, they still create a criminal record that can cause trouble with employment and housing.
Environmental and Regulatory Crimes
Criminal law also reaches organizations and individuals who violate government rules designed to protect public health and the environment. The penalties are structured so compliance costs less than violation.
Under federal water pollution laws, a negligent violation can lead to fines of $2,500 to $25,000 per day plus up to one year in prison. A knowing violation jumps to $5,000 to $50,000 per day and up to three years. Second offenses double those numbers.16Environmental Protection Agency. Criminal Provisions of Water Pollution Because the fines accumulate daily, even a short period of noncompliance can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties.
What a Conviction Costs Beyond the Sentence
The sentence a judge announces in the courtroom is only part of the picture. A criminal record triggers a web of restrictions that can follow someone for years or decades after they have served their time.
- Employment. Many employers run background checks, and a felony conviction can disqualify applicants from entire industries, including healthcare, finance, education, and government contracting.
- Housing. Landlords and public housing authorities routinely screen for criminal records, which can make finding stable housing significantly harder.
- Voting rights. Most states restrict voting for people with felony convictions. The rules range from temporary disenfranchisement during incarceration to permanent loss of voting rights unless the governor grants clemency.
- Firearms. Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment from possessing firearms or ammunition.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Professional licenses. Convictions can lead to revocation of licenses for professions like law, medicine, real estate, and accounting.
Some jurisdictions allow people to petition for expungement or record sealing after a waiting period, which can remove or limit public access to the conviction. Not every offense is eligible, and the rules differ significantly from one state to the next.