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Buffalo Crime Boss’s $94M Scheme Unraveled
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that the Western District of New York Office secured the highest amount of money for a given year in the Office’s history. Specifically, in Fiscal Year 2013, the Office recovered $94,220,047 as a result of wide-ranging efforts in criminal, civil and forfeiture cases.
This money was used to repay victims of crime, provided as aid to law enforcement agencies, and in largest part, provided to taxpayers as a result of being transmitted to the United States Treasury. The historic announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hochul, who praised the hard work and dedication of Office attorneys and support staff.
“This Office strives mightily to protect the public from those who would cause it harm,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “From violent gang members to child predators, cyber criminals, and major fraudsters, we seek to ensure that the worst of the worst are identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Office collected $75,146,101 in criminal and civil actions, including $20,142,677.26 in fines and restitution, with $20,004,017 returned to victims of crime. Additionally, the Office collected $55,003,424 in civil actions, including proceedings involving health care fraud, government fraud, foreclosures and more.
In addition to the $94,220,047 collected locally, U.S. Attorney Hochul also noted that the WDNY worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional amount of over $534,500,000.00 in cases pursued jointly with these offices.
The historic recoveries resulted from the Office’s efforts in various cases, including the conviction of Ashvin Zaveri, who was accused of defrauding investors who had invested approximately $35,000,000 in Aoil and natural gas exploration partnerships in Tennessee and Kentucky through his company Zaveri Oil & Gas, Ltd.
“This Office strives mightily to protect the public from those who would cause it harm,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “By using civil law and forfeiture, we recover money that helps repay victims of crime, aids local law enforcement, and fills the American Treasury.”
The recovered money represents more than nine times the amount of money it took to operate the entire United States Attorney’s Office for the year, with the Office’s budget being approximately $10 million. The recovered money means taxpayers spent nothing for the protection and safety provided by this Office, and still also obtained an additional $84 million in money it did not anticipate receiving through other means.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime|Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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