Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Victims of crime in Montana will have a resource for assistance from the State of Montana after the U.S. Department of Justice funded a grant of $3.5 million from two separate programs from the Victim Assistant Formula Grant through the Victims of Crime Act.

I spoke with the U.S. Attorney for Montana, Jesse Laslovich about the program.

Two Programs Will Bring Over $3 Million to Montana Crime Victims

“At the United States Department of Justice, we have appropriated money from Congress for grant programs throughout the year,” began Laslovich. “Specifically, the three and a half million dollars that we are sending to the State of Montana through the Montana Board of Crime Control comes from the Office of Justice Programs to support victims of crime.”

Laslovich described the funding from the federal government to Montana.

“We have so many crimes that are committed where there are victims, of course, there are some crimes that are victimless, but our work in holding people accountable is critical, but certainly we need to be there for the victims, whether that's insisting on payment or restitution, or in this instance, having monies available to help victims cope with the trauma that they have endured,” he said.

Laslovich described the route the assistance will take to help crime victims.

Laslovich Described the Journey that Relief Monies Will Take

“This money will go to the Montana State Board of Crime Control, as I said previously, and then they will issue grants to various organizations that apply for those monies in order to assist victims of crime, both federal victims of crime and state victims of crime,” he said.

Laslovich clarified that victims would receive the money from the Board of Crime Control.

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

He Said the Monies Will Actually Come from the Board of Crime Control

“This is money that won't go directly to victims,” he said. “It'll go to the Board of Crime Control, but there will be funds that will go into the Crime Victims Compensation Fund for those victims who are not going to receive restitution from a defendant, because, for example, the money is all gone, they can apply to the state Victim Compensation Fund to receive a portion of the monies that they would have lost due to fraud.”

The Montana Board of Crime Control will receive $3,017,090 from the Office for Victims of Crime, and The Montana Department of Justice will receive $640,000 from the Office for Victims of Crime.

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