Over $6 Million Collected in Montana Criminal and Civil Actions

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana’s U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich told KGVO News that the District of Montana collected over $6 million in both criminal and civil actions in fiscal year 2023.

Laslovich explained how the monies were collected.

Millions Collected by the State in 'Financial Litigation Program'

“When there's a victim that involved the stealing of money,” began Laslovich. “For example, if there's wire fraud that was committed, then sometimes of course the defendants have the means to pay it back and sometimes they don't, and we have a division within our office called the ‘Financial Litigation Program’ to track down money and assets of those who have been convicted in a criminal case or on the civil side have either voluntarily or involuntarily been a part of a civil judgment.”

Additionally, the District of Montana worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $52,813,479 in cases pursued jointly by these offices.

Over $48 Million Collected from the Arco Superfund Case

Laslovich provided details on some of the larger judgments collected by his office.

“First, there’s ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company),” he said. That's one I'm familiar with based on where I grew up in Anaconda with that Superfund site as part of that settlement for over $48 million that they will be paying to remediate the area around Anaconda in Butte, and then there’s Kalispell Regional Medical Center now, Logan Health with over $4 million as a result of Stark Act violations.”

Laslovich described a judgment collected from the Bellamah Vein and Surgery Center for False Claims Act violations.

A Press Release States that $485,202 was Collected in Fiscal Year 2023

“Another one I would just call out on the civil side was almost $3 million from a physician in his Vein Clinic that he owned and operated for False Claim Act violations,” he said. “In other words, they were submitting primarily Medicaid claims to the government that were false. He received the money that we then pursued and got that money back.”

According to a press release from Laslovich’s office, ‘additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $485,202 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023. 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.