CIVIL DIVISION
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois has eight Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), one paralegal, and seven legal assistants working in its Civil Division. Pursuant to statute, the Civil Division’s responsibilities include:
(1) the prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and
(2) the collection of debts owed the Federal government which are administratively uncollectible.
The Civil Division’s litigation responsibilities include many areas on behalf of the United States, its departments, agencies, and employees. Examples include civil fraud prosecutions (especially health care fraud cases), medical malpractice defense, civil and criminal asset forfeiture, employment law, constitutional rights cases, administrative agency review cases, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, civil environmental prosecutions and defense, immigration law, civil tax prosecutions and defense, social security disability cases, and tort defense.
The Civil Division is currently addressing an increasing number of medical malpractice claims arising from military hospitals, veterans hospitals, and other federally-supported health care facilities. The Civil Division has also been on the leading edge in filing civil and criminal complex asset forfeiture actions against the interests of national and international money launderers, drug cartels, organized crime organizations, and white-collar criminals.
The Civil Division works closely with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division in the investigation and prosecution of violations of federal civil rights, including allegations of official misconduct and violations of the federal “hate crimes” statute. Through the work of the Financial Litigation Unit (FLU), the Civil Division is responsible for the collection of fines, forfeitures, restitution awards and other penalties. In the most recent fiscal year ending, September 30, 2006, the FLU recovered nearly $6 million for the United States.