U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE COLLECTS $7.6 MILLION IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL ACTIONS IN FY 2012
Memphis, TN– U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III announced today that the Western District of Tennessee collected nearly $7.6 million related to criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. Of this amount, more than $5.3 million was collected in criminal actions and more than $2.2 million was collected in civil actions. Additionally, the office collected $944,452.20 in criminal and civil forfeitures.
“During this time of economic recovery, these collections are more important than ever,” said U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to protecting the public and recovering funds for the federal treasury and for victims of federal crime. We will continue to hold accountable those who seek to profit from their illegal activities.”
In October 2011, the Western District of Tennessee recovered $1.37 million as part of the settlement with the DFine Corporation, which was an Affirmative Civil/Medical Device case.
Nationwide, the U.S. Attorneys’ offices collected $13.1 billion in criminal and civil actions during FY 2012, more than doubling the $6.5 billion collected in FY 2011. A portion of this amount, $5.3 billion, was collected in shared cases in which one or more U.S. Attorneys’ offices or department litigating divisions were also involved. The $13.1 billion represents more than six times the appropriated budget of the combined 94 offices for FY 2012.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. Statistics indicate that the total amount collected in criminal actions totaled $3.035 billion in restitution, criminal fines, and felony assessments. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid directly to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims’ Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
The statistics also indicate that $10.12 billion was collected by the U.S. Attorneys’ offices in individually and jointly handled civil actions. The largest civil collections were from affirmative
