US Attorney tops $84 M for penalties and fines

CREATED Oct. 5, 2012

  • Print

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- The U.S. Attorney's Office in Idaho has set a new annual record by collecting more than $84 million in fines, restitution, civil debt and criminal forfeitures.

U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson said Thursday the amount -- more than 10 times her office's annual budget -- is the most ever collected by the District of Idaho in a single fiscal year.

The big year is attributable to a $77.4 million fine collected from Hecla Mining Co. as part of a settlement in the Bunker Hill Superfund site in northern Idaho.

In fiscal 2012, the office collected more than $3.2 million in federal and non-federal criminal fines. Of that, the office distributed more than $854,000 to victims of crime.