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Victim Witness

Victim Witness

Victim Witness Assistance

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is committed to protecting the rights of crime victims. The Victim Witness Assistance Program in each United States Attorney's Office was established to carry out the mandates of the Federal Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982 and subsequent legislation. These victim/witness assistance and protection laws apply to all victims and witnesses of federal crime who have suffered physical, financial, or emotional trauma. A variety of notification and assistance services are provided to victims and witnesses of federal crime by Assistant United States Attorneys, the Victim-Witness Coordinator, and other U. S. Attorney's Office staff, with the assistance of federal law enforcement agencies.

Mission

The Victim-Witness Unit responds to the needs and upholds the rights of victims and witnesses by implementing and carrying out the requirements of Federal Law and Department of Justice regulations.  The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is committed to ensuring that federal crime victims are afforded all the rights to which they are entitled by law.

The Victim-Witness Unit is designed to provide federal crime victims and witnesses with information, case status, education, services, and support during federal prosecution.  Our office is committed to ensuring that victims and witnesses of crime are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect throughout their contact with the federal criminal justice system. Information and Assistance for victim and witnesses can be found in the VWU Brochure.  

 

For more information, please click on one of the following links (below will be information to be provide in the links):

  • Victims’ Rights

As a crime victim, you have the following rights under 18 United States Code § 3771:

  1. The right to be reasonably protected from the accused.
  2. The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused.
  3. The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding.
  4. The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, [or] sentencing, or any parole proceeding.
  5. The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case.
  6. The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law.
  7. The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay.
  8. The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy.

We will make our best efforts to ensure that you are accorded the rights described. You can seek the advice of a private attorney with respect to these rights.

If you have been identified as a crime victim under 18 U.S.C 3771 (e) “a person directly or proximately harmed as a result of the commission of a federal offense,” and believe you were denied one or more of your rights afforded by the Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004, there is an administrative complaint procedure, as provided under 28 CFR, § 45.10.  To file a complaint, you may complete the Complaint Form (PDF) or (Microsoft Word)(also available in Spanish). This form cannot be completed on-line; the form must be printed and completed then mailed or faxed to the designated contact person on the form.  You may also contact the Office of Victims' Rights Ombudsman.

  • Victim Notification System 

The Criminal Division is committed to ensuring that victims of federal crime are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect throughout their involvement in the federal criminal justice system, and that they receive the rights and services to which they are entitled under federal law. One of the ways that the Criminal Division achieves this goal is through the Victim Notification System (VNS), which provides free automated electronic and written notification to victims of federal crime regarding the status of their cases. The Criminal Division works with the United States Attorney's Offices in implementing VNS and addressing the needs of crime victims during the prosecution stage of the federal court process.

Where possible, all victim information and notifications in criminal cases that have been accepted for prosecution from federal investigative agencies are made available (in both English and Spanish) by means of the Department of Justice's Victim Notification System (VNS). VNS is a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Attorney's Offices, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Criminal Division. This free, automated, computer-based system provides federal crime victims with information on scheduled court events, as well as the outcome of those court events. It also provides victims with information on the offender's custody status and release.

In addition to the electronic and written notifications generated through VNS, victims in these cases who have already received by mail a special PIN number, which at this time does not include all the Criminal Division cases described in the preceding paragraph, can obtain automated status information by calling the VNS Call Center at 1-866-365-4968 (1-866-DOJ-4YOU) and/or by accessing the VNS Internet site at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov/index.jsp. A Victim ID# and PIN# are required to access the VNS Call Center or VNS Internet site.

  • Restitution

What is Restitution? Restitution is compensation for a loss that is paid by a criminal to the victim of the crime. It is not awarded in civil cases but is ordered as part of a criminal sentence. Restitution is only available for an actual monetary loss that a victim sustained as a result of the defendant’s criminal conduct.

Under Federal law, restitution is mandatory for most types of crimes. It is important for victims entitled to restitution to keep a record of losses, medical expenses, property damage, counseling expenses, with receipts when possible. This information will be needed by the probation department if the defendant is convicted and ordered to pay restitution.

For additional information, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/file/405236/dl.

 

Note: If you have been the victim of a federal crime or have been called as a witness in a criminal federal proceeding, and/or if you have any reason to believe your rights have not been honored, please contact the Office of Victims' Rights Ombudsman.

 

Contact Information

Victim-Witness Unit
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
Toll-free: 1-718-254-6256

 

 

Updated October 28, 2026