He was charged federally, and federal prisons don't do parole. If he was sentenced to 20 years, he'll do most of those 20 years.

Federal prison does do time off for good behavior. 54 days off per year, so a 20 year sentence would at best be cut to about 17 years.

If you have a life sentence you're not eligible.

I just recently learned about the parole system in the US, do I understand it correctly, that he wouldnt be allowed to leave the country until the 20 years are up?

Most likely yes that is correct. I'm not a lawyer but I think it's _possible_ a judge could allow them to leave the country but I doubt they frequently do allow that. Often they're restricted much more precisely than nationwide.

How does it work outside the US? Is there no parole or do they typically allow you to leave the country?

Edit: said bail instead of parole

I'm pretty sure bail is different than parole. Bail comes before sentencing, parole comes after the jail/prison time.

Thanks, I meant parole.

Does it end with the initial sentence or can it be longer?

No, they won't extend the initial sentence unless he commits another crime (then it's technically a different sentence). The worst that can happen is you get denied parole all the way up to your full initial sentence and then you're let out.

Thanks for your explanation, that part was unclear to me.