The U.S. Department of Justice recently launched a prosecutor-led, multi-agency team designed to investigate those defrauding federal government programs, including individuals overseas and those operating fraud schemes.
The National Fraud Detection Center (NFDC) will be tasked with generating criminal leads to drive more impactful prosecutions and enhance fraud-fighting results. It brings federal and state government partners together to work collaboratively in a whole-of-government approach to eliminate fraud. Previously, a lack of cross-agency visibility hindered efforts to deter fraud on taxpayer-funded programs and resulted in some scammers to further perpetrate schemes across multiple taxpayer-funded programs without detection.
“The creation of the NFDC marks a decisive shift in how the federal government detects and investigates complex fraud,” Colin McDonald, Justice Department National Fraud Enforcement Division assistant attorney general said. “By breaking down institutional silos, embedding analysts from across the IG community, and leveraging shared technology, the NFDC is actively closing the window of opportunity for bad actors who seek to exploit taxpayer dollars. Today’s announcement sends a clear message: if you defraud federal programs, we have the tools and the law enforcement partners to find you.”
Amanda Riedel, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys acting assistant director, and Cody Matthew Herche, Global Trade & Commerce Enforcement Section acting chief, will lead the initiative.