U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Collections from Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2021

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont collected $1,874,911.26 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2021. Of this amount, $1,326,495.45 was collected in criminal actions and $548,415.81 was collected in civil actions.  

Additionally, the District of Vermont worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $291,607,284.62 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $20,151.91 was collected in criminal actions and $291,587,132.71 was collected in civil actions.          
     
“These collection figures demonstrate our Office’s commitment to use the tools we have to make the government whole when it is victimized by fraud and to recover ill-gotten gains for the benefit of victims of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Kerest. 

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-District of Vermont, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $807,954.00 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2021. 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.