U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects More Than $3.5 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2019

GREENSBORO, N.C. - United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin announced today that the Middle District of North Carolina collected $3,516,486 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2019. Of this amount, $2,721,999 was collected in criminal actions and $794,487 was collected in civil actions.

“The federal prosecutors and support staff in our office work hard to protect our citizens, to safeguard precious taxpayer resources, and to collect money owed to crime victims and to the government,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “Their diligent efforts enable us to seek justice for crime victims every day and hold accountable those who seek to profit from illegal activity.”

In 2019, the Middle District of North Carolina recovered $624,731 from a single defendant in the case of USA v. Douglas Alan Corriher; 1:16CR205-1. Corriher was prosecuted for Conspiracy to Impede the Internal Revenue Service and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,556,882.38. The IRS will receive the funds collected.

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.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $2,386,587 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2019. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice and Department of Treasury Assets Forfeiture Funds are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

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