NH prosecutors' office collects $24 million

U.S. Attorney John Kacavas says nearly a third of the money came from a penalty paid by a Florida-based finance corporation — Imperial Holdings — to resolve fraud allegations.

Kacavas said the $24 million represents five times the annual budget of his office.

Nationwide, federal prosecutors collected more than $13 billion in civil and criminal penalties — twice the amount collected in fiscal 2011.

Kacavas said efforts to recover and restore to taxpayers money reaped through criminal enterprise is especially important in this period of economic recovery.