U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects More Than $9.9 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2020

GREENSBORO, N.C. - United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin announced today that the Middle District of North Carolina collected $9,991,198.58 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2020. Of this amount, $3,442,905.31 was collected in criminal actions and $6,548,293.27 was collected in civil actions.

The Justice Department collected more than $15.9 billion in civil and criminal actions in fiscal year (FY) 2020 ending Sept. 30, 2020. The $15,988,516,670 in collections in FY 2020 represents more than five times the approximately $3.2 billion appropriated budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the Justice Department combined in that same period. The total includes all monies collected as a result of Justice Department-led enforcement actions and negotiated civil settlements. It includes more than $13.5 billion in payments made directly to the Justice Department, and more than $2.4 billion in indirect payments made to other federal agencies, states and other designated recipients.

“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.”

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.

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