Justice Department Announces Distribution of Over $1B to Compensate Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism

On Dec. 30, 2024, Special Master Mary Patrice Brown authorized payments from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (the Fund) totaling $1.035 billion to nearly 19,000 victims of state‑sponsored terrorism.

In the first week of January, the Fund issued over $766 million to approximately 14,700 claimants and will continue issuing payments on a rolling basis.

“This year, the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund has authorized a distribution of over $1 billion in compensation to support victims of state-sponsored terrorism — bringing the total authorized to date to over $7 billion,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division — through its Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, which administers the Fund — is tireless in its pursuit of justice for victims of state sponsored terrorism.”

“Although the amount distributed is significant, no amount of money can fully compensate those devastated by acts of international terrorism for their tremendous loss and trauma,” said Special Master Brown. “As many victims have shared, it is not about the monetary compensation, it is about justice. The dedicated team at the department has remained steadfast in the pursuit of justice for these victims.”

The Fund was established by Congress and is administered by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, under the leadership of the Special Master. The Fund has previously allocated more than $6 billion for thousands of victims of state-sponsored terrorism and their families in four rounds of distributions and one round of lump sum catch-up payments. The distribution announced today brings total authorized distributions to over $7 billion. Apart from an initial appropriation of approximately $1 billion from Congress and additional congressional appropriations for lump sum catch-up payments, funds available for distributions result from certain Justice Department prosecutions and cases and other U.S. government enforcement actions.

In 2024, the Fund accepted more than 4,500 newly eligible claimants, bringing the total number of eligible claimants to more than 20,000. Amounts outstanding and unpaid on these claims exceed $120 billion. Claims are anticipated to grow in the coming years as more victims of state-sponsored terrorism apply to the Fund. While the amount of funds available is not sufficient to compensate the victims’ claims in full, this compensation provides some measure of justice for victims of state‑sponsored terrorism.

More information about the Fund’s compensation to victims of state‑sponsored terrorism is available on the Fund website at www.usvsst.com, including application materials, frequently asked questions, and publications.