Ryan K. Buchanan, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia has announced that it was responsible for over $72 million in collections and forfeitures during Fiscal Year 2024. Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. emphasized the district's commitment to securing financial justice for crime victims and taxpayers.
"Obtaining financial justice for victims of crime and United States taxpayers is a high priority for this District," said Moultrie. "These results for Fiscal Year 2024 reflect our commitment to leverage both criminal and civil enforcements to recuperate money for crime victims and the public through all available legal resources."
In the fiscal year, more than $36 million was collected through the district’s Financial Litigation Program, which focuses on recovering civil and criminal debts, fines, and penalties owed to crime victims and the United States. This included over $14 million obtained in restitution, fines, or assessments from defendants in criminal cases. According to federal law, defendants who commit certain crimes are required to pay restitution to their victims. The funds collected from criminal fines and assessments are directed to the Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Fund, which allocates resources to victim compensation and assistance programs at both federal and state levels.
Additionally, over $21 million was collected from affirmative civil enforcement cases aimed at recovering government funds lost due to fraud or misconduct or collecting fines from individuals or corporations violating federal laws related to health care, safety, environmental regulations, or controlled substances.
The district also deposited more than $36 million into various forfeiture funds through actions managed by its Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section. Of this total amount forfeited, over $21 million came from civil forfeiture cases while more than $14 million resulted from criminal cases. The Department of Justice uses these forfeited assets not only to compensate crime victims but also for other law enforcement purposes, sharing proceeds with federal, state, and local partners. In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, more than $1 million was returned to crime victims while over $3 million was shared with law enforcement partners within the district.
For further details or inquiries about this announcement, contact can be made with the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office via email at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or by phone at (404) 581-6016. More information is available on their website: http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
