Todd South

Staff Writer, @tsouthjourno

The top federal prosecutor in New Jersey announced Friday that his offices have collected $89.4 million through criminal and civil litigation in 2016.

The New Jersey collections are just a portion of the total $2.93 billion collected this past year by federal prosecutors, said U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

“Every day, the men and women of the Department of Justice work tirelessly to enforce our laws, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used properly and that the American people are protected from exploitation and abuse,” Lynch said. “Today’s announcement is a testament to that work, and it makes clear that our actions deliver a significant return on public investment.

Over the past five years, under U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, the New Jersey offices have collected more than $682 million in a combination of civil and criminal actions and forfeitures.

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“We continue to collect far more in fines, penalties, asset forfeiture, restitution and settlements than we spend in our mission to keep the public safe from violent crime and protect them from financial exploitation,” Fishman said.

Fishman listed some significant recoveries over the past year, which included:

The sale of a New York condominium owned by Garrett Bauer for $8.725 million after Bauer was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2012 for his conviction in an insider trading scheme.

A combination of property and funds seized from various defendants amounting to $2.3 million in the Morris County-based Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services case, in which millions in bribes were paid to doctors in exchange for medical testing referrals to the lab.

The New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s annual budget appropriation is $29.2 million for this past year.