Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina collected over $20 million in criminal and civil actions during Fiscal Year 2024. The collections included more than $14 million from criminal actions and over $6 million from civil actions.
The office collaborated with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to gather an additional $27,680.71 in jointly pursued cases.
Significant recoveries were made, including over $800,000 from Shephard Spruill, who was involved in fraudulent Medicaid billings by misusing patient information. Additionally, more than $500,000 was recovered from Michael Robinson for fraudulently obtained funds from farm assistance programs managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The recovery of funds fraudulently obtained from such government programs is vital for ensuring the preservation of important public resources," stated Bubar.
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are tasked with enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S., as well as criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. Defendants must pay restitution to victims who have suffered physical injury or financial loss due to certain federal crimes. Restitution goes directly to victims, while criminal fines contribute to the Crime Victims Fund for victim compensation and assistance programs.
The Eastern District also focused on asset forfeiture remedies to strip criminals of illegal gains and recover funds for financial crime victims. Over two million dollars were collected through asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024, with assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund used for restoring funds to crime victims and supporting law enforcement activities.
In partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, nearly $5 million in Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency was seized as proceeds from cryptocurrency confidence investment schemes during Fiscal Year 2024. These schemes involve fraudsters developing online relationships with victims to convince them to invest large sums through fake apps designed to appear as legitimate cryptocurrency exchanges but ultimately funnel money into fraudsters' wallets.
Larger cryptocurrency seizures are anticipated as law enforcement continues efforts against this form of criminal activity.