Friday, 12 February 2010 01:14

$109 Million Recovered by U.S. Attorney’s Office for CA’s Eastern District

slide3-109_million_recovered_by_u.s._attorneys_office_for_cas_eastern_district.pngAmador County – The United States Attorney’s Office announced last week that the Eastern District of California (EDCA) recovered a total of $109,265,779 in 2009 as the result of various criminal and civil proceedings. United States Attorney Benjamin Wagner said in a release that recoveries come in a “variety of forms, such as restitution for victims of crimes, forfeitures of assets used in criminal activity, and judgments in civil cases brought on behalf of the United States.” He said the “$109 million recovered in 2009 is at least six times the total annual operating budget of the U.S. Attorney's Office.” “Year after year, this office recovers far more money for the American taxpayer and for the victims of crime than it costs to operate this office. Through the outstanding work of the dedicated attorneys and staff in the Asset Forfeiture and Financial Litigation Units, this office will continue to be a vigilant steward of the taxpayer's funds,” he said. The Office concluded 87 judicial forfeiture proceedings during 2009, collecting a total of $6,057,575 from the forfeiture of various properties seized during criminal investigations. “In one forfeiture of $282,247 related to drug crimes, for example, a total of $218,684 was shared with the Amador County Sheriff, the El Dorado County Sheriff, the Placer County Sheriff, the Auburn Police Department, Placer Law Enforcement Agencies Special Investigations Unit, the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, and the Yolo County Narcotic Enforcement Team,” said the release. Besides forfeitures, the U.S. Attorney's Office collected a total of $103,308,203 on civil and criminal debts. “Our responsibility is not only to convict those who violate federal law, but also to ensure that crime does not pay, that victims receive the restitution they are due, and that the United States recovers funds that it is fairly owed,” said Wagner. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.