Press Release
U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE COLLECTS $1,914,673.40 IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL ACTIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 2019
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico collected $1,914,673.40 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2019. Of this amount, $1,411,492.49 was collected in criminal actions and $503,180.91 was collected in civil actions.
“One of the most powerful tools in the prosecution of drug, financial, and other crime is the ability to divest criminals of their ill-gotten gains and compensate victims for physical injury and monetary losses,” said U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson. “Collection is also effective in civil litigation to recover government money lost to fraud and penalize other misconduct. These impressive criminal and civil collections in 2018 demonstrate the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to providing economic justice to the people of New Mexico.”
As one example of the U.S. Attorney’s collection efforts, in Oct. 2018, the District of New Mexico recovered $184,251.79 from a defendant who filed false tax returns for 10 years. 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 for the District of New Mexico, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,349,432 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2019. 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.
Updated January 6, 2020
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