News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
Peter F. Neronha
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
December 16, 2010
U. S. ATTORNEYS’ OFFICES CONTRIBUTED TO $6.68 BILLION
IN CIVIL & CRIMINAL COLLECTIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 2010
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha announced today that financial collections by the Department of Justice in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 reached an all-time high due to the efforts of the U.S. Attorneys’ offices nationwide. The ninety-four U.S. Attorneys’ offices contributed to the collection of $6.68 billion during the government’s fiscal year.
According to statistics from the Department of Justice, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island collected $2,014,000 in FY 2010. Of this amount, $800,000 was collected in criminal actions with $290,721 of this amount being returned to victims; $1,060,000 was collected in civil actions with $275,000 of this amount resulting from health care fraud recoveries; and $153,000 was collected as a result of the uncontested forfeiture of assets that facilitated or were the proceeds of criminal activity.
The most recent Department of Justice statistics do not reflect a Chinese drug manufacturer, GeneScience Pharmaceutical Company, and its CEO, Lei Jin, jointly forfeiting $4.5 million in early October after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to illegally marketing human Growth Hormone in the U.S. In addition, the company and Jin will pay an additional $3 million to finance a Clean Competition Fund designed to counter the effects of illicit doping in sports. The $7.5 million in criminal assessments & asset forfeiture was collected just days after the most recent reporting period for criminal and civil collections closed. The $7.5 million will be represented in FY 2011 figures.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office, and in particular the Financial Litigation Unit, is committed to recovering funds for victims of federal crime and the federal treasury,” said U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha. “We will continue to hold accountable those who seek to profit from their unlawful activities. During this time of economic recovery and shrinking budgets, these collections are more important than ever.”
The U.S. Attorneys’ offices are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. Statistics from the Department of Justice indicate that the total amount collected in criminal actions totaled $2.84 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 $3.84 billion was collected in civil actions. The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws. In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, and Small Business Administration.
The Financial Litigation Unit is comprised of Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie J. Kane, Paralegal Specialist Sandra L. Mascola, Financial Auditor Danny L. Saccoccio, and Data Analyst Melissa A. Neff. The Unit is led by Civil Division Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Iannotti.
For further information, the Department of Justice’s Annual Statistical Reports can be found on the internet at http://www.justice.gov/usao/reading_room/foiamanuals.html.
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Contact: 401-709-5357
USARI.Media@usdoj.gov
