Crime doesn’t pay – at least it shouldn’t. That’s one reason the men and women of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas worked hard in FY 2014 to collect more than $11.4 million in criminal and civil actions. That’s money we actually collected during the year.
Of that total, about $5 million was collected in criminal cases. Restitution ordered in criminal cases is based on the principle that wrongdoers ought to be required, as much as possible, to restore victims for their losses.
Here are some examples from among our recent cases:
An insurance agent in Marshall County who was convicted of stealing customers’ premiums is ordered to pay $160,000 in restitution.
The treasurer of a rural fire district in Jackson County convicted of embezzling from the fire district is ordered to pay $427,000 in restitution.
An Olathe man convicted of stealing 165 cases of global positioning devices from the factory where he worked is ordered to pay $2.1 million in restitution.
An Overland Park man convicted of swindling banks and investors is ordered to pay $5.7 million in restitution.
Civil actions in the District of Kansas brought in even more than criminal actions — $6.4 million of the $11.4 million total for FY 2014.
Here are some examples of civil actions:
• An apartment management company in Kansas City, Kan., agrees to pay $640,000 to settle allegations it submitted false claims to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In a related criminal case, a former assistant property manager and nine former tenants plead guilty to criminal charges.
• A hospital in Hutchinson agrees to pay $853,000 to settle allegations it submitted false claims to the Medicare program.
• A cancer treatment facility in Kansas City, Kan., agrees to pay $2.9 million to settle allegations it billed for chemotherapy drugs that patients did not receive.
Recovering money on behalf of crime victims and federal agencies is often a difficult task that requires the work of skilled attorneys, investigators and legal staff. Sometimes it takes months or even years to track assets and deal with legal obstacles. Be assured that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is working hard to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money.
Barry Grissom is the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas.