Idaho's U.S. attorney nets over $7.1-million

October 28, 2017

United States Attorney Bart M. Davis, District of Idaho, announced Friday that his office’s Financial Litigation Unit collected more than $4.95 million in criminal restitution, fines and assessments and in civil debts for the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2017. Of the total collected, $1,038,424 were criminal restitution, fines and/or assessments, and $3,917,825 were civil debts. In addition, the Asset Forfeiture Unit collected approximately $2,147,676 in proceeds and instruments of crime in criminal and civil forfeiture actions. “The more than $7.1 million our staff collected for criminal restitution, fines, assessments, civil debts and asset forfeiture exceeds the U.S. Attorney's Office’s annual operational budget,” said Davis. “Our collection and asset forfeiture staffs of attorneys, paralegals, analysts and fiscal agents ensure that those who have caused loss to victims pay those victims back and ensure that those who have profited from committing crimes in the District of Idaho are deprived of the proceeds and tools of their crimes. These same folks also ensure that those who owe the federal government money as a result of litigation in this District or as a result of longtime debt, make appropriate payments. This year, all of these dedicated individuals have done outstanding work and served this office, the taxpayers, and this community well.” Victims of crime receive funds collected in criminal restitution cases. In fiscal year 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, through the Financial Litigation Unit, collected over $898,000 in criminal restitution that was distributed to victims of crime. Other criminal collections such as fines go into the Crime Victims Fund. From there, funds are distributed to the Idaho Crime Victims Compensation Program, the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance and similar programs across the country. Money recovered from the illegal proceeds of criminal activity through forfeiture is returned to victims, used to offset the costs of operating federal prisons and shared with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to help fight crime. Other recoveries go back to agency creditors. During the fiscal year, some notable criminal restitution collections include Asset Forfeiture’s restoration of $30,000 paid back to a veteran’s family after the veteran was defrauded of Veterans Affairs and Social Security Benefits. In addition, the Treasury Offset Program helped collect $94,000 in one payment toward a restitution debt. Lastly, various criminal defendants paid all or much of their restitution debts at or before sentencing. Notable recoveries of the proceeds of crime through asset forfeiture include forfeitures of currency, vehicles and real property seized as proceeds and facilitating property of drug trafficking and fraud. These included real properties in Ketchum, Caldwell, California, and Washington. In some cases, the United States shared, or will share, with local investigating agencies money and vehicles seized. As for civil debts and penalties, the Financial Litigation Unit collects civil penalties for violations of regulations involving, among other things, controlled substances, environmental protection, damage to federal property and procurement fraud. It also collects civil debts for defaulted loans. Of the $4.95 million in civil debt collected, $1.1 million was as a result of fraudulent procurement of government contracts and another $2.25 million was related to wild fire suppression costs recovery.