You’ve probably heard the term restitution thrown around in news stories about crimes. It is a common penalty in criminal cases, as one North Carolina man recently found out.

In October, a North Carolina man was sentenced to 84 months in prison for the role he played in conspiring to steal from Medicaid. Part of his sentence included paying restitution in the amount of $6.1 million to North Carolina Medicaid and $346,000 to the IRS for his crimes.

So, what is restitution and how does it factor into criminal cases in North Carolina? [...]