Correction: The $44.2 million going to the Virginia State Police resulted from a settlement in a federal criminal prosecution, not a lawsuit, as incorrectly reported in a headline Friday.

RICHMOND -- U.S. Attorney John Brownlee called it a case "where we're taking money from the bad guys and giving it to the good guys."

The federal government's recent $634.5 million settlement with OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma includes $44.2 million that will go to the Virginia State Police for its role in a three-year criminal investigation of the company. The award is the largest asset forfeiture payment recorded in the 75-year history of the state police.

Brownlee, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, joined Virginia's governor and attorney general in presenting a ceremonial check to the police Thursday at state police headquarters in Richmond.

"In my view, today is much more than simply the transfer of money," said Brownlee, who was the lead prosecutor in the case. "Today is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate, honor and thank the men and women of the state police."

Purdue and top company executives pleaded guilty in May to fraudulently marketing the prescription painkiller OxyContin, which was blamed for a wave of addiction and crime in Southwest Virginia. The state police assisted other state and federal agencies in the criminal investigation.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell said the Purdue case showed that "individuals at the highest levels of corporate America, when they have done wrong, have been brought to justice."

Gov. Tim Kaine echoed McDonnell, saying: "Those who want to work harm on others are going to get caught, and they're going to have to pay. And they're going to have to pay regardless of their station in life."

In addition to the proceeds awarded to the state police, $39 million went to the state attorney general's Medicaid fraud control unit, and $20 million will fund a statewide database that is used to track purchases of prescription drugs.

The Virginia State Police intends to use its share of the settlement proceeds for some long-sought projects such as completing a law enforcement driving training track, improving the state's emergency communications infrastructure and implementing a Web-based information-sharing system.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury must approve the state police's plans for spending the settlement proceeds.

State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty said the department put a priority on projects "that are not only beneficial to the state police but will be beneficial to our other law enforcement partners as we move along."

Flaherty said it was fitting that the state police benefited from Purdue's ill-gotten gains.

"Let's not forget that this started out as a criminal investigation and there was some improper behavior that led to these benefits," Flaherty said. "But that's probably the way we should be doing business, is reinvesting this type of funding into law enforcement to combat future crimes."