The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, headed by Sayler A. Fleming, announced a substantial collection of $23.5 million from civil and criminal actions during the fiscal year 2024. As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, $11 million of this total was attributed to criminal actions, while civil actions accounted for $12.5 million.
In coordination with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice divisions, the Eastern District of Missouri managed to jointly collect an additional $16.9 million, which mostly stemmed from civil actions. Noteworthy civil settlements included the cases against Total Access Urgent Care and Dr. Nehal Modh, who agreed to pay $9.1 million and $1.2 million respectively, over false claims allegations concerning medical services.
The district also took in nearly $1 million from criminal actions involving a case against two Jefferson County chiropractors who are currently facing time for aiding clients in disability fraud. A total of 27 guilty pleas have been entered by patients connected to this scheme, who are now compelled to repay the benefits they illegally obtained. Moreover, garnishing the retirement accounts of two doctors netted over $880,000, with about $628,000 recovered from Dr. Amy Swegan for kickback acceptance, while nearly $255,000 was collected from Dr. Ashu Joshi for child pornography distribution involving a former patient's daughter.
"These cases show that our Financial Litigation Unit will aggressively pursue restitution for victims and taxpayers, even if it takes years after a case is resolved," U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming asserted on the U.S. Attorney's Office, emphasizing the tenacity of the legal pursuit. Restitution payments are mandated by law to compensate victims of specific federal crimes who have suffered physical or financial harm. Correspondingly, criminal fines and assessments are directed towards the department's Crime Victims Fund, boosting federal and state victim support and compensation programs.
The effort to restore justice and deter crime didn't end with restitution and fines. The U.S. Attorney’s office, along with partner agencies, collected $5.6 million in asset forfeiture actions. Assets seized under these actions contribute to the Justice Department Assets Forfeiture Fund, which serves both to compensate victims and support various law enforcement initiatives.
