John H. Durham, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut. Courtesy photo

U.S. Attorney John H. Durham of the District of Connecticut announced this week that his office collected more than $22.7 million in revenue from criminal and civil actions in 2019, including $6.3 million in criminal actions and nearly $16.4 million in civil assessments.

The revenue helped the U.S. Department of Justice bring in more than $9.3 billion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2019.

"This past fiscal year, the talented men and women of our Connecticut office helped to recover more than $22 million for victims of crime and to help us fund important federal, state and local law enforcement efforts," Durham said in a written release. "We are committed to seeking justice for victims, taking back ill-gotten gains from lawbreakers, and protecting the integrity of important government programs."

The largest civil collections for Connecticut came from civil enforcement cases, in which money was recovered after being lost to fraud or other misconduct, and fines were imposed on individuals and corporations for violations of federal law.

Debts owed to federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and Department of Education, were collected from debtors across the state. The largest recoveries were reportedly from cases involving wire and securities fraud.

U.S. attorney's offices across the country collect civil and criminal debts owed to the federal government and to victims of federal crimes. Defendants are required to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. In addition to restitution, criminal fines and felony assessments are collected and paid to the U.S. Office of Justice Programs' Crime Victims' Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and assistance programs.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut also collected $3,776,349 in asset forfeiture actions in fiscal year 2019, in conjunction with partner agencies and divisions. Of this amount, $1,606,053 was collected in civil cases and $1,841,763 was collected criminal cases; $328,533 was collected administratively. 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.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut includes some 68 assistant U.S. attorneys and more than 50 staff members at offices in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.

For more information about the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-ct.