Acting United States Attorney Randall S. Galyon has announced that the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC) collected a total of $11,766,028.87 in criminal and civil actions during Fiscal Year 2024. The district gathered $10,606,536.43 from criminal actions and $1,159,492.44 from civil actions. Additionally, the MDNC collaborated with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice components to collect $550 in jointly pursued criminal cases.
“Collecting restitution and other criminal and civil debts is a vital part of our mission,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Galyon. “We will continue to prioritize collections in order to hold criminals accountable, collect debts owed to the government, and recover compensation for victims of crime.”
In January 2024, the district successfully recovered $611,845.17 in restitution by garnishing retirement accounts belonging to the defendant in the case USA v. Mouzon, 1:22CR200. The defendant had previously pled guilty to wire fraud charges in October 2022 and was ordered to pay a special assessment of $100, restitution amounting to $2,038,285.66, and a fine of $5,000. To date, a total of $805,305.28 has been recovered for the victim through various means including administratively forfeited assets worth $193,610.82.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are tasked with enforcing and collecting both civil and criminal debts owed to the United States as well as criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. Legal provisions require defendants convicted of certain federal crimes causing physical injury or financial loss to pay restitution directly to victims while fines contribute to the Crime Victims Fund for distribution among federal and state victim programs.
Furthermore, the MDNC office worked alongside partner agencies on asset forfeiture actions totaling $1,549,150 in FY 2024. Assets forfeited are deposited into designated funds such as the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund or Department of Treasury Seized Assets Fund which aid crime victims financially or support law enforcement initiatives.