The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida collected $188,113,543 in criminal and civil debts during fiscal year 2025, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones.
Of the total amount collected, $173.5 million came from criminal restitution collections and about $14.6 million was obtained through civil actions to enforce debts owed to the United States. The office emphasized its ongoing commitment to securing restitution for crime victims and enforcing financial judgments issued by federal courts.
“Nearly $200 million recovered means real accountability and real results,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones. “Those funds represent restitution returned to victims and debts collected from people who broke the law. Court orders matter, and in the Southern District of Florida, we enforce them. If you steal or defraud, we will put you in prison and we will come after the money.”
U.S. Attorney’s Offices are tasked with enforcing and collecting restitution judgments owed to victims of certain federal crimes involving financial loss or physical injury, as well as collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the government. Restitution payments go directly to crime victims, while fines and assessments are deposited into the Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Fund, which supports compensation and assistance programs for victims at both federal and state levels. These collection efforts are managed through the Financial Litigation Program (FLP).
Notable recoveries during fiscal year 2025 included several cases:
- Issa Asad and Q Link Wireless LLC were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and other offenses. They were ordered to pay more than $111 million in restitution; so far, over $108 million has been recovered.
- Israel Guardarrama was convicted of conspiracy related to healthcare fraud and wire fraud, with a restitution order exceeding $1.7 million. The FLP recovered $1.4 million through legal action involving his properties.
- Michael Scott Segal was convicted of mail fraud and wire fraud with a restitution order totaling just over $912,000; more than $409,000 was recovered in fiscal year 2025 alone, fully satisfying that judgment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted that these outcomes reflect its efforts to hold offenders accountable financially as well as criminally.
