Western District DOJ Brings In Over $11 Million From Cases In 2023 For Missouri

The Show Me State has collected more than $11 Million dollars from criminal and civil actions through the US Attorney’s office for 2023.

According US Attorney Teresa Moore, the Western District brought in $4,453,163 in criminal action cases and another $1,361,521 in the civil cases throughout the year.

She also indicated that the office collected some $5,678,378 in asset forfeiture actions, deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund.

That is used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

A full rundown of all funds collected and what it means for Missourians can be found below:

U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects $11.5 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore announced today that the Western District of Missouri collected $5,814,684 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $4,453,163 was collected in criminal actions and $1,361,521 was collected in civil actions.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Western District of Missouri, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $5,678,378 in asset forfeiture actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

“In 2023, the attorneys and support staff in our Monetary Penalties Unit worked diligently to collect nearly $11.5 million on behalf of taxpayers and victims of crime,” Moore said.

“Our job doesn’t end when a defendant is sentenced or a civil case is settled,” Moore added. “I’m proud to say that over the past year, victims of fraud, sex trafficking, and other crimes have received much needed restitution for what they lost at the hands of criminal defendants. Our team seized assets and collected money judgments from criminals who attempted to profit from their illegal activities. And those who owed a debt to the United States were held accountable to pay what they owed.”

Additionally, the Western District of Missouri worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $5,298,876 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $37,515 was collected in criminal actions and $5,261,361 was collected in civil actions.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.