OKLAHOMA CITY – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma collected $7,929,582 in criminal and civil actions and through asset forfeiture in Fiscal Year 2021, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced.
Of the total amount, $5,324,445 was collected in criminal actions and $746,873 was collected in civil actions. In addition, through working with partner agencies and divisions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collected $1,858,264 through asset forfeiture. 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, Troester said.
“Despite the many challenges faced during the pandemic, our collection efforts demonstrate our continued commitment to upholding the rule of law, safeguarding taxpayer resources and protecting the American people from exploitation and abuse,” Troester said. “My team uses tools Congress has provided to seek to recover money owed to victims in criminal cases and return taxpayer funds in civil cases.”
Highlights of the Western District of Oklahoma’s FY 2021 collection efforts included:
$2,411,672.06 in criminal restitution was collected from Rocky Lemon, who was convicted in 2007 of health care fraud and money laundering.
A $325,000 Controlled Substances Act settlement in June 2021 with Dr. Albert T. Nguyen, owner, and sole physician at the Budget Medical Clinic in Oklahoma City. The United States alleged that Dr. Nguyen failed to issue prescriptions in the usual course of professional practice when he left pre-signed, blank prescriptions for non-physicians in his office to prescribe controlled substances to patients, in violation of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.
$113,000 in criminal restitution was collected in August 2021 from Stephanie Cunningham through bank garnishment. She was convicted last April of health care fraud and wire fraud.
$107,386 in criminal restitution was collected from Gregory Lynn Cobbs through garnishment of Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Sale proceeds due his business, GL Cobbs and Co., LLC. Cobbs was a local home builder who was convicted in March 2019 of wire fraud.
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 U.S. 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.