Grassley, Colleagues Urge DOJ to Prioritize Crime Victims Fund, Collect Outstanding Fines and Penalties

Grassley, Colleagues Urge DOJ to Prioritize Crime Victims Fund, Collect Outstanding Fines and Penalties

WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) are urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect the nearly $10 billion of outstanding criminal fines and penalties DOJ is owed and swiftly deposit them into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), as is required by law.

The senators in 2024 sounded the alarm on the Biden administration offsetting more than a billion dollars that should have been directed to the CVF. At the senators' request, the Government Accountability Office is now conducting a study to ensure proper upkeep of the fund. Since Grassley began his oversight of the CVF, the DOJ's available funds to support crime victims has more than tripled - rising from $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2023 to $3.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2025.

"In addition to holding criminals accountable, the collection of outstanding fines and penalties would allow DOJ to provide critical resources to support victims and survivors of crime nationwide, as these funds are statutorily required to be deposited into the CVF, with very limited exceptions," the lawmakers wrote.

The $10 billion in outstanding fines were identified in the most recent United States Attorneys' Annual Statistical Report. The senators are requesting DOJ provide Congress rolling updates on its collection of these debts.

Read the full letter HERE.

Background:

Congress in 1984 established the CVF to provide critical resources to victims and survivors of crime nationwide, including in Iowa. The CVF is self-sustaining and taxpayer-neutral, funded entirely by fines and penalties collected through federal criminal convictions and settlements. Most recently, Iowa received over $268,000 from the CVF to support crime victim services for the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa.

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