Restitution
After a defendant is convicted of certain types of crimes, the judge may order the defendant to pay restitution as part of the sentence. Restitution occurs when an offender gives back the thing(s) he or she stole (or damaged) or when the offender pays the victim for his or her loss. It is important that victims keep a detailed record of all crime-related losses and expenses. Restitution can be either discretionary or, in most cases, the judge is required by law to award the victim restitution for the full amount of the victim's losses. Examples of these cases include child support recovery, sexual abuse, domestic violence, telemarketing fraud, sexual exploitation and other abuses of children, consumer product tampering, most violent crimes, and most crimes against property, including fraud.
Receiving restitution payments: Victims normally receive restitution payments from the Clerk of the District Court. The defendant should not make payments directly to any victim. The Court maintains a record of payments and disbursements on all court-ordered restitution- Payments can be paid to victims in one large lump sum, or in smaller payments. This will depend on the! defendant's ability to repay the restitution and on the number of other victims involved. Victims have the responsibility to notify the Clerk of Court when their address changes so that restitution payments can be forwarded to the new address.
If victims have questions regarding restitution, they should contact the Federal Clerk of Court at 515-284-6248. The U.S. Attorney's Office VW Staff and/or the Financial Litigation Unit at 515-473-9300 is also available to answer questions regarding restitution.