How much time can be given to someone for a contempt violation in federal court for a federal case?

how many years can a person get for a contempt violation for criminal cases in federal courts?How much time can be given to someone for a contempt violation in federal court for a federal case?
It depends on the circumstances, but it wouldn't be ';years.'; The federal contempt statute permits punishment for as long as five years, but I have never seen anyone get a sentence for as long as one year for contempt. Usually, a contempt is punished with a fine or a few weeks in jail. Sometimes as long as six months.





One qualification to that. There is something called ';civil contempt.'; That applies where the judge orders you to do something and you refuse to do it. In that case, the judge can put you in jail until you do what the judge ordered you to do. Theoretically, that could be forever. In fact, the judge will eventually give up and let you out if you continue to refuse. In those circumstances, there have been instances of people being in jail for as long as 18 months.