Attorney General Holder Announces in Video that the Justice Department Collects More Than $24 Billion In Civil And Criminal Cases In Fiscal Year 2014

Attorney General Eric Holder announced in a video today that the Justice Department collected $24.7 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2014.  The more than $24 billion in collections in FY 2014 represents nearly eight and a half times the appropriated $2.91 billion budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the Justice Department combined in that same period.

“Every day, the Justice Department’s prosecutors and trial attorneys work hard to protect our citizens, to safeguard precious taxpayer resources, and to provide a valuable return on investment to the American people,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.  “Their diligent efforts are enabling us to achieve justice and recoup losses in virtually every sector of the U.S. economy.  And as a result, I can report today that – during Fiscal Year 2014 – the Justice Department collected a total of $24.7 billion in civil and criminal actions.”

The complete text of the Attorney General’s video message is below:

“Every day, the Justice Department’s prosecutors and trial attorneys work hard to protect our citizens, to safeguard precious taxpayer resources, and to provide a valuable return on investment to the American people.  Their diligent efforts are enabling us to achieve justice and recoup losses in virtually every sector of the U.S. economy.  And as a result, I can report today that – during Fiscal Year 2014 – the Justice Department collected a total of $24.7 billion in civil and criminal actions.

“That’s more than three times the $8 billion total the Department collected in 2013.  And it’s nearly eight and a half times the combined budgets of our 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and all of our main litigating divisions.

“This year’s total includes every dollar collected as a result of Justice Department-led enforcement actions and negotiated civil settlements.  It comprises roughly $13 billion in payments made directly to the Justice Department, as well as $11 billion in indirect payments made to other federal agencies, states, and other recipients.  And it shows the fruits of the Justice Department’s tireless work in enforcing federal laws; in protecting the American people from violent crime, national security threats, discrimination, exploitation, and abuse; and in holding financial institutions accountable for their roles in causing the 2008 financial crisis.

“In fact, the largest single source of collections during 2014 came from civil settlements to resolve financial fraud claims, including record penalties paid by JPMorgan and Citigroup.  These settlements also provide for billions of dollars of relief to struggling homeowners.

“As in past years, collections from civil and criminal health care fraud penalties – including hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from pharmaceutical companies accused of fraud, false claims, and drug safety violations – were among the largest sources of recovered funds.  And all across the country – from Wall Street to Main Street – the Justice Department’s robust criminal and civil efforts, in these and many other areas, have made a tremendous, positive difference in the lives of countless people.

“These achievements owe a great deal to the leadership of dedicated career attorneys and support staff members – in Washington and throughout the U.S. Attorney community – who serve the American people every day with integrity, with professionalism, and with steadfast commitment to the highest ideals of justice.  I want to thank each of them for their contributions, and their patriotic service, in securing these collections and returning stolen funds to the public coffers.

“In the days ahead, as this work goes on; as we plan for the next fiscal year; and as the new Congress begins its annual appropriations process early next year, I urge leaders from both parties to come together to increase investments in this critical work – so we can ensure that the Justice Department will continue to have the resources we need to build on these efforts, and keep serving the American people, in the months and years to come.”

The full video of the Attorney General’s message is available at http://www.justice.gov/agwa.php.