HOUSTON – The crimes range from petty to severe.
“It could be a misdemeanor assault, a felony aggravated assault. It could be criminal mischief, it could be theft. There’s a number of things. Number of crimes," says Michelle Permenter, director of the Victim Witness Program with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
But they all have the same outcome—defendants ordered to pay restitution to their victims. And funds collected on the victim’s behalf.
“It’s immediate, so what happens is once we accept the payment, we then turn around and generate a letter that’s mailed out that day to the victim, notifying them that the payment is there,” says Permenter.
But in the state of Texas, there is $22 million in unclaimed restitution payments owed to crime victims.
And at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office alone, there are payments due to victims dating back nearly three decades.
“There’s a little over $1 million. But that goes back to 1987,” said Permenter. She continues, “It’s here, so it’s not a question of do we have it or do we not ... so we exhaust all resources and (try) to identify or locate the complainant and get the payment to them.”
Right now there are 1,800 cashier’s checks and money orders—physically—in the DA’s office, waiting for victims to claim.
“We would be able to hand you the payment if you came in,” said Permenter.
So, why the hold up? Permenter says, the problem has been tracking down these victims and getting them to pick up their money.
“Believe it or not, there’s some that actually have been notified and for whatever reason, transportation issues, or for some reason have not completed the affidavit that we require for them to send in so we can receive the permission to mail it by mail,” she said.
Claiming your money is simple. All you need is a case number, the defendant’s name and your ID to prove you’re the person owed the money.
“If they believe that it’s a payment that was made in a lump sum through the DA’s office, then they can contact us and we can look and see,” said Permenter.
For a quick search of the DA's database, click here to enter your name and case number.
If you find your name on the list, follow the instructions to receive your payment from the DA's office. We would love to hear from you if you do find unpaid restitution funds listed for your case. Please email us at troberson@kprc.com or jlarson@kprc.com to share your story.