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Press Release

U.S. Attorney's Office Collects Over $3M in Civil and Criminal Penalties

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE – United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman announced today that the District of Rhode Island collected $3,256,549.78 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2019.  Of this amount, $1,633,893.21 was collected in criminal actions and $1,622,656.57 was collected in civil actions. 

Additionally, the District of Rhode Island worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $20,833,502.89 in cases pursued jointly by these offices.  Of this amount, $4,344.30 was collected in criminal actions and $20,879,158.59 was collected in civil actions.        

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Rhode Island working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,234,635.00 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.

These recoveries reflect the breadth of the District of Rhode Island’s caseload and enforcement efforts in multiple areas.  For example, of the District’s total, approximately $535,000 was recovered in a civil penalty action brought against a major national pharmacy chain for its alleged failure to detect invalid prescriptions for controlled substances at its Rhode Island pharmacies; nearly $700,000 was recovered for false claims to the United States resulting from the supply of counterfeit military uniforms to government purchasers; and nearly $300,000 was recovered from a local ambulance company to resolve allegations that it improperly billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary ambulance runs.

“These collection figures reflect our Office’s commitment to use all the tools at our disposal to deter illegal conduct and make the government whole when it is victimized by fraud, as well as to recover the financial fruits of crime for the benefit of victims,” remarked U.S. Attorney Weisman in announcing these collection results.

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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Contact

Jim Martin
(401) 709-5357

Updated December 26, 2019

Press Release Number: 19-161