U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects Over $9.5 Million in Fiscal Year 2025

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that the District of South Dakota collected $9,516,233.90 through criminal fines, restitution, loan defaults, bankruptcy, forfeiture, and affirmative civil enforcement efforts in FY2025. Moreover, the District of South Dakota worked with other U.S. Attorney's Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $16,747,398.58. Of the total collections, $8.9 million was derived from criminal cases. A significant portion of this amount-$8,801,058.91-was returned to victims of crime, underscoring the Office's commitment to ensuring justice and support for those adversely affected by criminal acts. The remainder was deposited into the Crime Victims Fund, a crucial resource that provides financial assistance to victims across the United States for costs arising from violent crime such as medical expenses, lost wages, mental health counseling, funeral expenses, and more.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Dakota, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $65,292,431 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2025. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

"Thanks to the diligence and hard work of our U.S. Attorneys and the highly skilled staff in our Financial Litigation and Asset Recovery Units on behalf of South Dakota victims and taxpayers, we have held criminals accountable and done everything we can to make victims whole," said U.S. Attorney Parsons. "We will continue to prioritize collection of restitution and debts to the federal government together with our law enforcement partners, as a critical part of our mission."

The U.S. Attorneys' Offices, along with the Department's litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department's Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.