Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: United States Attorney’s Office Recovers Nearly $18,000,000 In Fiscal Year 2017
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y. ‐ U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, the Western District of New York Office recovered $17,889,000 as a result of wide‐ranging efforts in criminal, civil and asset forfeiture cases. Of that amount, $7,223,745 was given to victims of crime in the past year, while $772,000.22 was provided as aid to state and local law enforcement agency partners who worked hand in hand with the office on criminal cases. In addition, as part of an effort to combat fraud, waste, and abuse directed against the government, the Office collected $7,477,119 in affirmative civil enforcement actions, which include proceedings involving health care fraud, government fraud, and more.
“Speaking both literally and figuratively, the tremendous work done by the dedicated women and men of this Office is truly priceless,” said U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “For not only are the ideals embodied by the work done by this Office—ideals such as upholding the rule of law and preserving justice and equality—themselves without a price, by bringing in more money than we are allocated each year in our budget, we accomplish our virtuous mission while giving more back to the government coffers than we receive. By any measure, ours is a highly successful business model.”
In addition to recovering funds, a total of 167 dangerous firearms, along with ammunition were forfeited in FY 2017 as instrumentalities of criminal conduct in drug and violent gang cases. Computers and electronic media devices—most related to child exploitation cases—were also forfeited.
Kennedy specifically credited the work done by his Office’s Asset Forfeiture and Financial Litigation Unit, under the leadership of Chief Richard D. Kaufman and Deputy Chief Kevin D. Robinson, and his Office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit, under the leadership of Civil Chief Mary Pat Fleming and ACE Coordinator AUSA Kathleen A. Lynch.