Restitution—Mandatory Victims Restitution Act—Government as ‘Victim’

The United States can qualify as a crime “victim” eligible for restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled Oct. 19. (United States v. Mateos)

The defendant in this case was sentenced to pay millions of dollars in restitution to the federal government for her role in a massive Medicare fraud scheme. The MVRA, at 18 U.S.C. §3663A(a)(2), defines a “victim” as “a person directly and proximately harmed as a result of the commission of an offense.” The defendant argued that the United States is not eligible ...