PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. attorney’s office in Maine collected more than $3.73 million in criminal and civil actions in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty announced Wednesday.
Of that, about $1.082 million was collected in criminal actions and more than $2.648 million was collected in civil actions, he said in a press release.
Delahanty’s office also worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to collect an additional $925,487 in cases pursued jointly. Of that, $2,625 was collected in criminal actions and $922,862 was collected in civil actions.
The justice department collected nearly $15.4 billion in civil and criminal actions nationwide between Oct. 1, 2015, and Sept. 20, 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Wednesday. That is more than five times the appropriated $2.93 billion budget for the 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the justice department combined, she said.
“Every day, the men and women of the Department of Justice work tirelessly to enforce our laws, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used properly and that the American people are protected from exploitation and abuse,” Lynch said in the press release. “Today’s announcement is a testament to that work, and it makes clear that our actions deliver a significant return on public investment. I want to thank the prosecutors and trial attorneys who made this year’s collections possible, and I want to emphasize that the department remains committed to the well-being of our people and our nation.”
The District of Maine recovered the following:
— More than $633,000 as part of a settlement with Maine Dermatology of Lincolnville arising out of allegations of false Medicare claims.
— More than $439,000 as part of a settlement with Roof Systems of Maine in Bangor arising out of allegations of false claims relating to government contracts.
— $685,000 as part of a foreclosure action involving Spring House Associates in Skowhegan.
— $125,000 as part of a settlement with Northern Maine Medical Center of Fort Kent arising out of allegations that it failed to create and maintain adequate records of its handling and disposal of controlled substances.
Additionally, Delahanty’s office, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected more than $1.7 million in asset forfeiture actions in the fiscal year. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice’s asset forfeiture fund and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s forfeiture fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.