Source: Office of United States Attorneys
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, announced today that the Office Asset Recovery Unit collected $33,855,363 in asset forfeiture and financial litigation debt in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, $18,840,034.68 was collected through enforcement of criminal restitution debts and civil collections, and $15,015,329 resulted from criminal and civil forfeiture actions.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to protecting the public and recovering funds for the victims of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “We are proud to have partnered with so many local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to compensate victims and hold criminals financially accountable.”
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 United States and criminal debts owed to crime victims in federal cases. 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.
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.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelese Woods, Chief of the Office’s Civil Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Rota, Chief of the Office’s Asset Recovery Unit, as well as the Office’s outstanding support professionals and attorneys for their diligent efforts to uphold the law, hold wrongdoers accountable, and recover funds for victims of crime.
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