Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Collects $3.2 Million In 2019

The U.S. Attorney General in Rhode Island, Aaron Weisman's office collected more than $3 million from criminal and civil cases in the 2019 fiscal year, along with an additional $1.2 million in asset forfeitures. These funds included restitution payments directly to victims and the department's Crime Vicitms Fund, which offers federal and state victims assistance and financial compensation.

"These collection figures reflect our Office’s commitment to use all the tools at our disposal to deter illegal conduct and make the government whole when it is victimized by fraud, as well as to recover the financial fruits of crime for the benefit of victims," Weisman said in a statement.

Of the $3,256,549.78 collected, $1,633,893.21 was from criminal actions, while $1,622,656.57 was from civil actions. Through collaborations with the Department of Justice and other U.S. Attorney's offices, the department collected an additional $20 million in the past fiscal year.

The forfeited assets, collected in partnerships with other agencies and department, was valued at $1,234,635. These funds were used to repay victims of crimes and for other law enforcement purposes, Weisman's office said.

"These recoveries reflect the breadth of the District of Rhode Island’s caseload and enforcement efforts in multiple areas," the office said in a release. "For example, of the District’s total, approximately $535,000 was recovered in a civil penalty action brought against a major national pharmacy chain for its alleged failure to detect invalid prescriptions for controlled substances at its Rhode Island pharmacies; nearly $700,000 was recovered for false claims to the United States resulting from the supply of counterfeit military uniforms to government purchasers; and nearly $300,000 was recovered from a local ambulance company to resolve allegations that it improperly billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary ambulance runs."