DOJ collected $23 billion in FY2015

The Justice Department tallied up collections from civilian and criminal cases in fiscal year 2015, which ended on Sept. 30, and the total amounted to $23.1 billion.

The total includes all monies collected as a result of Justice Department-led enforcement actions and negotiated civil settlements. More than $16.2 billion was paid directly to the DOJ and the rest indirectly to other federal agencies, states and other other designated recipients.

Of the top 20 debt collections, the largest came from financial institutions whose risky practices led up to the 2008 financial crisis and collapse of the U.S. housing market, the Justice Department said. The culprits include Bank of America Corporation, which paid $8.2 billion, and McGraw Hill Financial Inc. and Standard  & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, which paid $687 million.

Additionally, in March, Commerzbank AG, agreed to pay a $79 million fine to the department, in addition to a $563 million forfeiture, as part of a global settlement of charges for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Bank Secrecy Act.  For six years Commerzbank knowingly and willfully moved approximately $263 million through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned entities in Iran and Sudan.

The Swiss Bank Program yielded more than $350 million in penalties from dozens of Swiss banks that reached non-prosecution agreements with the department in FY 2015.

Penalties for polluting pulled in $1.8 billion paid out by Tronox, and $93.6 million from Hyundai and Kia.

For more info, check out the DOJ press release.