CIVIL DIVISION
The Civil Division consists of the General Civil Litigation Unit, the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit, and the Monetary Penalties Unit.
General Civil Litigation Unit
The General Civil Litigation Unit represents the United States and its agencies, officers, and employees involved in civil litigation as either plaintiffs or defendants in many types of civil cases, including the following:
- defense of federal agencies in employment discrimination cases
- defense of federal medical facilities in medical malpractice actions
- defense of federal officers in Bivens-type civil rights actions
- civil prosecution to protect the private sector employment and re-employment rights of those who serve or have served in military service
- civil prosecution and defense of federal land trespass and boundary dispute cases
- defense or prosecution of commercial disputes between businesses and federal agencies
- bankruptcy court representation of federal creditors (primarily the IRS, SBA, HUD and the Rural Housing Service)
- defense of Social Security Administration in disability benefits appeals.
Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit
The Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit represents the United States and its agencies as the plaintiff in cases where the government seeks to recover monies and civil penalties in cases involving federal program or procurement fraud, primarily under the False Claims Act. Although most cases involve health care fraud, other areas include federal crop insurance fraud, food stamp fraud, and frauds involving other federal programs.
Monetary Penalties Unit
The Monetary Penalties Unit is composed of the Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) and the Asset Forfeiture Unit.
The FLU collects debts resulting from unpaid federal loans as well as from civil and criminal judgments, including fines, penalties and victim restitution. The FLU garnishes wages, seizes federal tax refunds, and seizes real and personal property wherever it can be located.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit operates under both criminal and civil statutes in an effort to seize assets that are the proceeds of criminal activity, or were involved in facilitating federal crimes or money laundering offenses.