Ellingburg v. United States

Summary

The Court held that restitution imposed under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996 (MVRA) is criminal punishment for purposes of the Ex Post Facto Clause. Accordingly, the retroactive application of the MVRA to Ellingburg, who committed his offense before the statute’s enactment, violates the Clause. The judgment of the Eighth Circuit was reversed and the case remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.