The Middle District of North Carolina collected over $4,300,000 in Fiscal Year 2011 related to criminal and civil actions according to U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand. Over $1,200,000 was collected in relation to criminal actions and over $3,100,000 was collected because of civil actions. In criminal and civil forfeitures, the office collected over $2,000,000.
Across the country, the U.S. Attorneys’ offices collected over $6.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2011 for criminal and civil actions for a second consecutive year. Over $1.3 billion of this money was collected in shared cases, which occur when one or more U.S. Attorneys’ offices were involved in the same case. The budget for Fiscal Year 2011 for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices was tripled by the $6.5 billion collected.
“The employees in our office work very hard to collect money owed to crime victims and to the government,” said Rand. “These are tough budgetary times for everyone, and our collections efforts are more important than ever before. We will continue to seek justice for crime victims every day and hold accountable those who seek to profit from illegal activity.”
A $2 million civil collection came from FirstHealth of the Carolinas because of improper ambulance billings, a case that was settled. The company was sending ambulances to Moore Regional Hospital, which did not admit any liability in the case.
Over $860,000 of the money collected in the Middle District came from money confiscated from inside the door of a vehicle that was traveling through the Middle District on an interstate. The person driving the vehicle claimed it was money delivered to him by two different people in New York for purchasing a restaurant in Texas. The driver had no documentation of the supposed loan. The driver also did not know the location, the price, or any other details about the restaurant that he was headed to purchase.
The litigating divisions of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are responsible for collecting civil and criminal debts that are owed to the United States and to victims of federal crime. In restitution, felony assessments, and criminal fines, the total amount of money collected was well over $2.66 billion. Victims of federal crimes who have suffered physical injury or significant financial loss are legally due restitution from the defendants in the case.
Some of the biggest civil collections by the government included money that was lost to fraud or fines imposed on corporations or individuals for violating safety, civil rights, federal health or environmental laws. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service and Small Business Administration also had debts collected on their behalf.
In Fiscal Year 2011, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices also collected $1.68 billion in asset forfeiture actions while working with partner agencies and divisions. The Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund and Department of Treasury Forfeiture Fund are where these funds are deposited before they are sent to crime victims for the restoration of funds.