U.S. Attorney’s Office in Memphis Collects $7,467,543.96 For U.S. Taxpayers and Victims in 2019

Memphis, TN – United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee collected $7,467,543.96 in criminal and civil actions during Calendar year 2019. Of that amount, $5,442,925.21 was collected through civil actions and $2,024,618.75 stemmed from fines and restitution ordered as part of criminal convictions.

Two cases that generated significant collection efforts include United States of America and the State of Tennessee ex rel. Dr. L. Darryl Quarles v. Satellite Healthcare, Inc., UT Medical Group, Inc., and WellBound of Memphis, LLC, and United States ex rel. Pińon v. CQuentia Series LLC d/b/a CQuentia Labs, Total Diagnostix, LLC, and Decatur Hospital Authority, d/b/a Wise Regional Health Systems, both generating $3,198,o64.69 and $431,182.96 respectively.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Protection of the United States Treasury and taxpayer resources is a core value and critical mission for this office and the Department of Justice. Equally as important is the priority of collecting restitution for victims of crime in order to punish offenders and provide justice for the harm and loss suffered by victims. I commend the outstanding work of our Criminal Division, Civil Division, and Financial Litigation Unit in aggressively pursuing and effectively collecting this amount on behalf of victims of crime and the United States."

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the U.S. Department of Justice’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.

Calendar year 2019 collections include recovery of government money lost to criminal fraud and other misconduct and recovery of money lost by victims as a result of individual and corporate misconduct. In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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