MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Federal prosecutors for the western half of Wisconsin collected almost $4 million in civil and criminal penalties over the last fiscal year.

U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil of Madison said his office collected over $3.2 million in civil penalties during the year ending September 30th. And they took in another $700,000 in criminal penalties.

Nationally, U.S. attorneys said they collected around $3 billion in criminal fines and assessments over the last fiscal year – plus $10 billion in civil fines. They also collected over $4 billion in assets forfeited for various reasons – including drug cases.

Officials say most penalties are for civil fraud – and for violations of federal safety, health, environmental, and civil rights laws.