U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich has announced that the District of Montana collected $4,551,419.18 in criminal and civil actions during Fiscal Year 2024. Of this total, $3,165,015.74 was obtained from criminal actions while $1,386,403.44 came from civil actions.
The District of Montana also collaborated with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $6,803,045.08 in jointly pursued cases. This included $251,225 from criminal actions and $6,551,820.08 from civil actions.
“These collections come from both criminals who are ordered to pay restitution to victims and fines and from those who owe debts or civil penalties to the American taxpayer," stated U.S. Attorney Laslovich. "As last year’s numbers reflect, our team of prosecutors, investigators, and staff have great success."
Among the funds collected for criminal judgments were significant amounts including: $721,739.82 from John Kevin Moore following his conviction for wire fraud and other crimes; $345,932.98 from Joseph Glen Dickey related to tax crimes; $250,000 from Larry Price Jr., a former official at Signal Peak Energy LLC; and $100,000 from U.S. Minerals Inc., convicted of negligent endangerment.
For civil judgments paid to victims: Dr. David Bellamah contributed $180,000 as part of a settlement for alleged False Claims Act violations; Kalispell Regional Healthcare completed its payment with an amount totaling $1,156,929.30 under similar allegations; Atlantic Richfield paid out over five million dollars as part of a settlement for environmental cleanup.
The U.S Attorneys’ Offices enforce collection on debts owed due to federal crimes or obligations towards crime victims through various legal means such as asset forfeiture which amounted up to approximately $881 thousand last fiscal year within Montana alone—these funds are used not only toward compensating affected individuals but also supporting law enforcement initiatives nationwide.