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Use PACER to locate the federal district case, open its criminal docket, and download the entries labeled Indictment, Plea Agreement, Judgment, Sentencing, and related filings. The docket is the case file’s chronological index. If you do not know the district, start with PACER’s nationwide Case Locator; if a document is absent, check the free RECAP Archive, then ask the clerk about sealed, restricted, or paper-era records.
Start with the correct federal case
Federal prosecutions are filed in a particular district court, division and case number. A name alone is not enough: several people can share a name, one defendant can have more than one federal case, and a prosecution may move from an initial complaint to an indictment under a different docket. Confirm the defendant, district, division, judge, case number and filing year before relying on a document.
When you know the district
Open PACER’s Find a Case service and search the district court directly. A court-specific search is updated immediately, which is useful when a filing was made recently. Search variations of the defendant’s name and check whether the result is a criminal case rather than a civil matter, bankruptcy proceeding or an appeal.
When you do not know the district
Use the PACER Case Locator, the nationwide index. PACER says this index is updated daily. Search the person’s name, review possible matches, and then confirm the district, division, case number, judge and filing year in the district docket before opening documents. The nationwide result is a lead, not a substitute for checking the court’s own case record.
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What to record before downloading anything
- Full defendant name and any spelling or alias shown on the docket.
- District and division, such as a northern, eastern or central division.
- Criminal case number, including the year and case-type prefix.
- Assigned judge and magistrate judge, if listed.
- Filing date and whether the case is open, closed, transferred or appealed.
Use the docket sheet as your map
The federal courts describe a case file as a docket sheet plus all documents filed in the case. Read the docket as a chronological index: each numbered entry identifies an event, filing or order and normally provides a link to the underlying PDF when the document is publicly available.
Search document descriptions, not just the defendant’s name
On the criminal docket, use the browser’s search function or the court’s report filters for these descriptions:
- Indictment
- Superseding Indictment
- Plea Agreement, Guilty Plea or Change of Plea
- Plea Hearing or Change-of-Plea Hearing
- Sentencing Memorandum
- Sentencing
- Judgment
- Statement of Reasons
- Commitment
Descriptions vary by court. A minute entry may record a hearing without attaching a transcript; a filing may have an attachment or exhibit under a separate document number. Open the entry and inspect every attachment before deciding that a record is missing.
Check PACER’s specialized reports
PACER’s CM/ECF documentation says some criminal dockets offer Plea Filings and Sentencing Filings reports. These reports can collect relevant entries, but each court controls whether the reports are enabled and what they expose. A sealed or court-only filing will not become public merely because it appears in a report heading.
Find and verify the indictment
Open the entry labeled Indictment or Superseding Indictment. Save the docket number, filing date and PDF together so you can identify the document later.
What to check in the PDF
- The defendant’s name and any co-defendants.
- Count numbers and the statute cited for each count.
- The alleged conduct and date ranges.
- Forfeiture allegations, notice provisions or penalty allegations.
- The grand-jury or filing date shown on the document.
A superseding indictment can replace an earlier indictment, add counts or revise allegations. Preserve both entries when explaining the timeline, and state which version governed the plea or sentencing. Do not assume that the latest document automatically contains every earlier count; compare the count numbers and text.
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When an indictment is not visible
Indictments can be sealed while a defendant is a fugitive, while investigators are carrying out related arrests, or for another reason ordered by the court. The docket may show a sealed entry without a public PDF. The clerk’s office can explain the court’s access procedure, but staff cannot disclose a document that remains sealed. If the court later unseals it, a redacted or replacement PDF may appear under a new entry.
Retrieve the plea agreement and plea hearing record
Search for Plea Agreement, Guilty Plea, Change of Plea, Plea Hearing and related minute entries. Download the agreement, exhibits, supplements and addenda that are publicly linked.
Separate the agreement from the hearing
The written plea agreement states the negotiated terms, such as the counts to which the defendant will plead, stipulated facts, recommendations, waivers and any cooperation provisions. A change-of-plea minute entry records that the hearing occurred; it is not necessarily the agreement itself. A transcript, when ordered and released, records the judge’s questions and the defendant’s answers.
Read attachments and later amendments
CM/ECF entries may contain several attachments, including a factual statement, a sentencing recommendation or a cooperation addendum. Some courts docket a supplement separately. Check subsequent entries for an amended plea agreement, a government filing adopting or rejecting a recommendation, and an order accepting or rejecting the plea.
Access controls matter. PACER’s plea and sentencing-folder documentation warns that sealed material and court-only filings may not be visible to a public user. The absence of a PDF therefore does not prove that no written agreement exists.
Find the federal sentencing record
Search the docket for Sentencing Memorandum, Sentencing, Judgment, Statement of Reasons and Commitment. These documents answer different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
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Judgment
The criminal judgment is the operative disposition. It identifies the counts of conviction and sets the sentence, such as imprisonment, supervised release, probation, fines, restitution and special conditions. Use the filed judgment—not a press release or a later summary—to state the final sentence.
Sentencing memoranda
Defense and government memoranda explain the parties’ positions and arguments under the sentencing guidelines and statutory factors. They are advocacy documents, not the sentence itself. A party may file a memorandum under seal or omit one entirely, so a sentencing hearing can exist without a publicly accessible memorandum.
Hearing entry, transcript and statement of reasons
A sentencing minute entry shows that the hearing occurred and may identify the sentence announced. A transcript provides the spoken record if it has been prepared and released. The Statement of Reasons is a separate sentencing form and may be restricted from remote public access even when the judgment is available. The Commitment documents delivery to the Bureau of Prisons or another custodial authority and may appear as its own entry.
Use a DOJ case page as an index, not a replacement
A Department of Justice case page may list public-facing documents such as an indictment or plea agreement. Use it to discover the matter or obtain a convenient copy, then verify the filing date, document number and final version against the district docket. The docket controls the procedural sequence.
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CourtListener’s RECAP Archive
The RECAP Archive is a free search of millions of contributed PACER dockets and documents, including scanned PDFs converted to text. Search by case name, docket number, party, document description and date. If a matching result includes a free PDF, compare its cover page and docket number with the PACER entry.
RECAP coverage is uneven. Documents enter the archive when users contribute them or when a free PACER filing is captured, so the archive cannot guarantee that every filing is mirrored. A search with no result, or a result with only a docket line and no PDF, is a reason to return to PACER or contact the clerk—not proof that the court never filed the document.
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Public court and agency pages
Some courts publish opinions, selected orders or hearing information, and DOJ pages sometimes provide indictment and plea copies. These pages are selective and may omit attachments, sealed filings and later amended documents. Treat them as discovery aids and verify the authoritative version in the district docket.
What PACER costs and what is waived
PACER requires an account. PACER’s current fee page reports more than one billion documents in its system, a charge of $0.10 per page, and a cap of $3.00 for a single document or case-specific report—the equivalent of 30 pages. PACER also states that quarterly charges of $30 or less are waived.
| Access item | Reported charge or rule | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Document or case-specific report | $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 | The cap is equivalent to 30 pages and applies to a single document or case-specific report. |
| Quarterly total | $30 or less waived | Charges are evaluated for the quarter; retain your account statement to see whether the waiver applies. |
| Name-search results | Not covered by the $3 document cap | PACER specifically excludes some search types, including name searches, from the cap. |
| Transcripts | Not covered by the $3 document cap | Transcript charges follow separate rules and can exceed the ordinary document limit. |
Download only the entries you need, note the docket number and document number in your files, and review the fee notice before confirming a search or transcript order. A long PDF still costs no more than the stated cap when that cap applies, but a name search or transcript can be charged differently.
Compare the main ways to obtain a record
| Source | Authority and completeness | Cost and speed | Sealed or paper-era records |
|---|---|---|---|
| PACER district docket | Authoritative electronic record for publicly accessible filings; generally the most complete online route. | Paid under PACER’s page and search rules; court-specific searches update immediately. | Cannot expose documents sealed or restricted by the court. |
| PACER Case Locator | Nationwide index used to identify the district and case. | Updated daily; use it before opening the district docket when the venue is unknown. | Finding a case does not mean every document is remotely available. |
| RECAP Archive | Free copies contributed by users or captured from free PACER filings; coverage is incomplete. | Free when a document is present; search results can be immediate. | Cannot supply a sealed PDF that no contributor could lawfully access. |
| DOJ or court public page | Selective public summary or document list. | Usually free and convenient, but not a complete docket. | Normally omits sealed, restricted and many routine entries. |
| Clerk’s office | Can explain local access rules and provide access to files held by the court. | Contact method, hours and copying charges vary by court. | Useful for public terminals, paper files and unsealing procedures. |
| Federal Records Center | Custodian for transferred historical federal court records. | Retrieval and copying may take longer than an online search. | Relevant when older files are no longer maintained electronically. |
Why a sentencing memorandum or plea agreement may be missing
- It is sealed. The judge may have restricted the filing, or the document may contain sensitive cooperation, victim or investigative information.
- Only the docket line is public. A public entry can identify a filing while withholding its PDF.
- The court uses a different label. Search “sentencing position,” “government memorandum,” “defendant memorandum,” “motion for variance,” “change of plea” and “factual basis.”
- The filing is an attachment. Open the entry’s attachment list instead of relying on the description alone.
- The document was amended or replaced. Check later entries for an amended, corrected or substituted filing.
- The case is from the paper era. For most cases created before 1999, the U.S. Courts says records may exist only in paper form at the filing court or a Federal Records Center.
- The hearing transcript is not yet released. A transcript may require preparation, a restriction period or a separate order and fee.
How to request restricted or historical material
Sealed or restricted filings
Read the docket entry for an order, sealing notation or redacted replacement. Ask the clerk’s office which access procedure applies and whether an unsealing motion or court order is required. Only the court can unseal the document; a clerk cannot override the judge’s restriction. If a redacted version is later filed, cite that version and its new docket number.
Paper and pre-1999 cases
Start with the filing court. U.S. Courts guidance states that public terminals at the clerk’s office can be used to view electronic files, while older paper records may remain at the court or have been transferred to a Federal Records Center. Ask where the file is held, whether an appointment is required, and what identification, copying or retrieval charges apply.
Transcripts
Look for a transcript entry, the court reporter’s notice of filing and any restriction date. If no transcript is linked, ask the clerk how to order it and whether the restriction period has ended. Do not treat a minute entry as a verbatim transcript.
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Build a reliable case timeline
- Record the complaint or initial appearance only if it helps explain the prosecution’s start; do not substitute it for the indictment.
- List the original indictment and every superseding indictment with docket number and filing date.
- Identify the plea agreement, factual statement, change-of-plea hearing and any amendment.
- Record sentencing memoranda separately for the defense and government, noting sealed or missing PDFs.
- Record the sentencing hearing, judgment, Statement of Reasons and Commitment as separate events.
- Check for a notice of appeal, amended judgment or resentencing order after the original judgment.
For each item, preserve the court, case number, docket entry number, filing date, document title and downloaded file name. This prevents a press release, an earlier indictment or a superseded judgment from being mistaken for the operative record.
Common search failures and fixes
The name search returns too many cases
Filter by district, criminal case type, filing year and judge. Compare the defendant’s middle name, date references and co-defendants before opening documents. Once you have the case number, stop using a broad name search and work from the district docket.
The docket shows “sealed document”
Do not infer its contents from the title. Check whether a redacted version, sealing order or later unsealing entry exists. If not, ask the clerk about the procedure for requesting access.
RECAP has the docket but no PDF
Use the docket line to identify the exact PACER document number, then retrieve it from PACER if it is public. Search RECAP again by docket number and filing date in case an attachment was indexed separately.
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Verify filing dates and document numbers; electronic docket order can include later corrections, and a plea agreement may be filed under seal or under a different description. The judgment remains the controlling disposition for the sentence.
The case appears closed but a later document is needed
Search for post-judgment motions, amended judgments, restitution orders and appeals. A closed criminal case can still have later entries, and an appellate docket is a separate record from the district-court file.
Quick Recap
Practical checklist
- Create or sign in to a PACER account.
- Use the district search or nationwide Case Locator.
- Confirm district, division, case number, defendant, judge and filing year.
- Open the criminal docket and inspect attachments.
- Download the indictment and any superseding indictment.
- Download the plea agreement, factual statement and change-of-plea entries.
- Download the judgment, sentencing entries, memoranda, Statement of Reasons and Commitment when public.
- Search RECAP for free copies and compare document numbers.
- Mark sealed, restricted, transcript and paper-era items separately.
- Contact the clerk or Federal Records Center when the docket cannot provide the record.
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