CONTACT: 919/856-4530
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday - October 20, 2004
U. S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE COLLECTIONS
For Fiscal Year 2004, $24.1 Million Collected by
United States Attorney's Office
For the Eastern District of North Carolina
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced today that his office collected $24.1 million during fiscal year 2004, which ended on September 30th.
The U. S. Attorney's Office collected the money in cases involving criminal fines, defaulted student and agricultural loans, civil fraud and affirmative litigation, restitution to victims, civil and criminal forfeitures, and other matters.
According to U. S. Attorney Whitney, the court-ordered restitution payments are sent directly to crime victims.
The collected criminal fines and assessments are used to finance the Crime Victims Fund (Fund). Money from
the Fund is distributed to the states based on a predetermined formula. During FY2004, the State of North
Carolina received a total of $13.6 million from the Fund. These funds are awarded to help support state and
local agencies that provide direct services to crime victims and their families.
Included in the funds awarded was $3.8 million, which is provided to the State to help support the Crime Victim
Compensation Program. This federal grant supplements state funds used to pay claims for medical costs, lost
wages, mental health counseling, funeral expenses, and other costs resulting from violent crimes committed
against innocent victims.
U. S. Attorney Whitney said his office will continue to make the collection of criminal financial debts a special priority.
The civil recoveries were collected primarily from fraud recoupment and repayment of various government loans. These funds are returned to the U. S. Treasury for the benefit of all citizens.
Whitney stated, "The U. S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina can attribute much of its success in collecting debts to the emphasis and resources devoted to the office by the Department of Justice. The cost to collect this money is a very small percentage of what is actually collected."
News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney's web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.
