Wyoming U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects $3,712,887 In Civil And Criminal Actions For U.S. Taxpayers In Fiscal Year 2013

Cheyenne, WY – U.S. Attorney Christopher A. “Kip” Crofts announced today that the District of Wyoming collected $3,712,887 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2013. Of this amount, $657,774 was collected in criminal actions and $3,055,113 was collected in civil actions.

Additionally, the District of Wyoming worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $2,337,572 in cases pursued jointly with these offices. Of this amount $1,987 was collected in criminal actions and $2,335,585 was collected in civil actions.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Thursday that the Justice Department collected approximately $8.1 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013. The more than $8 billion in collections in FY 2013 represents nearly three times the appropriated $2.76 billion budget for the 94 U.S. Attorney’s offices and the main litigating divisions in that same period.

“The department’s enforcement actions help to not only ensure justice is served, but also deliver a valuable return to the American people,” said Attorney General Holder. “It is critical that Congress provide the resources necessary to match the department’s mounting caseload. As these figures show, supporting our federal prosecutors is a sound investment.”

Wyoming U.S. Attorney Crofts noted, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Wyoming collected more than its budgeted expenditures in FY13, so I think the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth from our office and from our dedicated employees.”

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 to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws. In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and Department of Education