U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects $5,236,030.66 in Civil and Criminal Actions for Fiscal Year 2025

Springfield, Ill - Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore announced today that the Central District of Illinois collected $5,236,030.66 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $4,016,049.76 was collected in criminal actions and $1,219,980.90 collected in civil actions.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of Illinois worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $391,543.94 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount,$22,712.78 was collected in criminal actions and $368,831.16 was collected in civil actions.       

“Our office is unwavering in the fight to protect individuals and the government from financial crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “We will continue to diligently prosecute offenders, collect debts, and seek restitution for victims harmed by life altering financial losses.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of Illinois, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $9,326,268.00 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2025. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. 

For example, in February, the Central District of Illinois recovered $1,620,641.18 towards the judgment in the Aaron J. Rossi case. Rossi was sentenced in July 2024 after pleading guilty to committing mail fraud and making and subscribing a false tax return. He was ordered to pay a total of $3,120,641.48 in assessments, fines, and restitution.

And in March, the Central District of Illinois recovered $308,163.71 towards the outstanding judgment in the Lori Zeitler case. Zeitler pled guilty to five counts of wire fraud and was sentenced to pay a $500 special assessment and $600,000.00 in restitution to her victims.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. 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 to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.