U.S. Attorney's Victim Witness Program, District of Arizona Financial Litigation Unit

In 2002, the District of Arizona's Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) lost two agents of its already understaffed five-person unit within a 2-month period. The three remaining agents were left with approximately 1,000 cases each. These agents prioritized caseloads, triaged critical tasks, and put in many hours of overtime to respond to victim cases. 

In one large mail theft ring case, the agents spent long hours with Victim Witness Coordinators, prosecutors, and court clerks to ensure that the large numbers of victims were properly accounted for and that restitution payments would be fairly distributed. Through the unit's exceptional determination and hard work, they collected more than $3.5 million in fines and restitution for crime victims in fiscal year 2002.