Both the federal and most state legal systems have enacted statutes for the crime victims to recover their losses. In the federal system the victims of a successfully convicted criminal defendant stand in the same position as if they had won a civil suit against the defendant, and are free to pursue the same collection procedures to recover their losses.

The state systems also have procedures which allow a crime victim to recover.

However, as a practicle matter the victims chances of recovery are slim at best. Usually the defendant has already spent the funds or hidden them somewhere. I know of someone that was convicted of several felonies in the federal system, and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $13.5 million dollars. However, that figure nearly doubled over the years with legal interest running at a rate of 10% per annum.He was sentenced to 9.5 years, and restitution was made a condition of early release.

In the federal system there is no longer any parol. If the defendant is a model prisoner and complies with his restitution order he serves 85% of his sentence.

The various state systems usually are lenient on a first time offender (not so in the federal system), but restitution is made a condition of the leniency.

If the felon chooses not to make restitution, and plans to hide the funds for his use after he serves his full term, he has another problem. Every time he spends the stolen funds he commits a new offense of money laundering.