Senators Collins, King Announce $197,000 to Fund Crime Victim Compensation Program

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Maine Office of the Attorney General will receive $197,000 through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund. Funds from the Crime Victims Fund enhance state victim compensation payments to eligible crime victims.

“No one who has been the target of a crime should be forced to shoulder expenses resulting from being victimized,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “By supplementing state funding to reimburse victims for out-of-pocket expenses relating to a crime, this grant will help individuals recover more quickly.”

The Crime Victims Fund was established as a 1988 amendment to the Victims of Crimes Act of 1984. The Fund seeks to support victims of crime and recognizes that victims may face substantial challenges and be entitled to monetary compensation. It is financed by fines and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders.