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Financial Litigation Unit (FLU)

The Financial Litigation Unit litigates debt collection issues and enforces collection of criminal and civil debts owed to the United States or to victims of federal crime.

Civil Collections
The Financial Litigation Unit enforces collection of civil debts on behalf of federal agencies in litigation that most often involves federal loan programs, civil penalties assessed by federal agencies and civil fraud actions litigated by the United States Attorney's Office.

Criminal Collections
In every criminal case prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office, a special assessment is imposed upon each individual or corporate defendant at the time of sentencing. In addition, a criminal fine and/or restitution to victims are often imposed upon the defendant. All special assessments, criminal fines and restitution payments that are collected are then disbursed by the U.S. District Clerk of Court (USDC) either directly to victims identified through the prosecution of the case, or to the National Crime Victims Fund, which disburses grants to various victims' groups across the country, including victims' organizations in Louisiana.

Payment instructions
Electronic Fund Transfer Instructions (FEDwire Transfer)
Common Questions and Answers

Payment instructions

Civil Debts
All civil debts are received and processed by the Financial Litigation Unit. Cashier's checks or money orders should be made payable to the "U.S. Department of Justice" and mailed to:

United States Attorney's Office
Attention: Financial Litigation Unit
300 Fannin Street, Suite 3201
Shreveport, LA 71101

Payments in the amount of $50,000.00 or more are required to be sent via electronic funds transfer directly to the United States Treasury (see instruction for FEDWIRE Transfer). The Financial Litigation Unit must be contacted at least three (3) business days prior to the electronic fund transfer to ensure that the transfer is properly processed.

All civil monetary obligations to the United States may be paid with your Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, American Express, Discover Card or Debit Bank Card. You may log on to the Pay.Gov website at https://www.pay.gov. From the home page, look for a link on the left hand side titled Find Public Forms and select by Form Name. Select D. Select DOJ DAOG or click here to access the form directly. Use your USAO number and payment information to complete the form. If you wish to pay by credit card but do not have access to a computer or internet, you may provide authorization to the Financial Litigation Unit via telephone at (318) 676-3622.

Criminal Debts
All special assessments, fines and restitution payments are received and processed by the United States District Clerk of Court's Office (USDC). The USDC maintains the official docket of the case and issues copies of receipts to the debtor and the United States Attorney's Office. Cashier's checks or money order should be made payable to the "United States District Clerk of Court" and should also reference the docket number assigned to the case. Payments should be mailed to:

U.S. District Clerk of Court
300 Fannin Street, Suite 1167
Shreveport, LA 71101

Electronic Fund Transfer Instructions (FEDwire Transfer)

Contact the Financial Litigation Unit by phone at 318-676-3600 to obtain the FEDWIRE Electronic Funds Transfer form. You will need to provide to us the amount of the transfer and your facsimile (fax) number. We will complete a FEDWIRE Electronic Funds Transfer form which we will fax to you at the number you provide. Information contained in the FEDWIRE Electronic Funds Transfer form must not be altered in any way by you or your bank. Provide the completed FEDWIRE Funds Transfer form to your bank.

Please Note:

  1. The individual or company representative may present this form to any bank
     
  2. The individual or company is responsible for any FEDWIRE costs.
     
  3. The individual or company representative must notify the Financial Litigation Unit, (318) 676-3600, of the amount and date of the money transfer 3 days prior to the transfer. This step is required because the Department of Justice Debt Accounting Operations Group must have prior notice of the Wire Transfer.
Common Questions and Answers

Who do I talk to about my debt?
Call the United States Attorney's Office at (318) 676-3600 and ask to speak to someone in the Financial Litigation Unit.

Where do I send my payment?
Civil debts: Make cashier's check or money order payable to "U.S. Department of Justice" and mail it to:
UnitedStates Attorney's Office
Attention: Financial Litigation Unit
300 Fannin Street, Suite 3201
Shreveport, LA 71101

Criminal debts: Make cashier's check or money order payable to "United States District Clerk of Court" and mail it to:
U.S. District Clerk of Court
300 Fannin Street, Suite 1167
Shreveport, LA 71101

Is interest accruing on my debt?
Yes. All civil debts accrue interest, which is compounded annually. The rate is based upon the Treasury Bill rate on the day the civil judgment is entered by the court. All criminal debts in the amount of $2,500 or more also accrue interest, commencing 15 days after the date of sentencing unless waived by the court. The rate of interest is determined by the Treasury Bill rate on the 15th day after sentencing. Interest accruing on criminal debts is not compounded, however penalties of up to 25% of the debt may be added if the criminal debt is not paid within 90 days of its due date.

Can I pay my debt through installment payments?
The Financial Litigation Unit may consider entering into an installment payment agreement depending upon your financial situation and the language of the judgment or settlement. A financial statement must be completed and signed by you for review and consideration. Contact the Financial Litigation Unit for a financial statement if you would like to discuss this option.

Can I pay my debt using a credit card?
The Financial Litigation Unit will accept credit card payments for payment of civil debts only. The following credit cards are acceptable: Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, Discover, American Express and debit bank cards with any of the above logos. Criminal payments cannot be made by credit card.

Updated January 27, 2015