Creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division
- Issuer
- U.S. Department of Justice
- Document type
- Memorandum
- Date
- 2026-04-07
Memorandum — Creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, dated 2026-04-07, issued by U.S. Department of Justice.
Full text
(.@ffice of tqe Attornet! ~eneral
ltlfos~ingtnn, ID. QI. 20,sso
April 7, 2026
MEMORANDUM FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
t ,,; WV
FROM: THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENE
SUBJECT: CREATION OF THE NATIONAL RAUD ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
The American people deserve a government that stewards their money wisely and
protects it from wrongdoers. They rightly expect that taxpayer-funded programs will be
administered fairly and protected from theft. Fraudsters who target taxpayer dollars do not just
steal from taxpayers, they also prevent critical benefits from reaching those in need and sow
seeds of distrust in government institutions and civil society.
The Department has a storied history of combatting fraud and bringing criminal actors
to justice. However, the Department has never adopted a comprehensive and coordinated
approach to investigating and prosecuting fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded
programs. With over a trillion dollars at stake each year, threatened by increasingly
sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters, the time for that comprehensive and coordinated
approach is now. Accordingly, to honor our commitment to the public, the Department has
established the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The core mission of the National Fraud Enforcement Division is to zealously investigate
and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. The National Fraud
Enforcement Division will fulfill that mission by coordinating with agencies responsible for
administering benefit programs; partnering with federal, tribal, state, territorial, and local law
enforcement on fraud-fighting efforts; developing systems and processes that ensure efficient
identification of fraud against taxpayer dollars; and equipping prosecutors and law enforcement
with state-of-the-art tools and resources needed to bring criminal actors to justice. The
attorneys in the National Fraud Enforcement Division will work every day to protect the
financial integrity of our government and the tax system that supports it.
The Department will commence this new mission by consolidating and realigning
relevant resources into the National Fraud Enforcement Division. This is necessary to avoid
duplication, draw clear lines of effort between divisions, minimize layers ofbureaucracy,
centralize relevant expertise, and, ultimately, maximize results. But the effort will not stop with
mere realignment; rather, as outlined below, the Department will take immediate action to
expand the National Fraud Enforcement Division into a robust litigating division capable of
reaching any fraud- large or small-perpetrated against taxpayer dollars.
Memorandum from the Acting Attorney General Page 2
Subject: Creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division
To ensure swift movement towards fulfilling the mission ofthe National Fraud
Enforcement Division, I am directing the following actions and establishing the following
protocols:
• Effective immediately, the Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud
Enforcement Division shall assume operational control of the Criminal Division's Tax
Section, the Health Care Fraud Unit, and the Market, Government, and Consumer Fraud
Unit, and shall establish the priorities and direct the allocation of resources within them.
During this interim period, the existing supervisory chains responsible for the above
named units and section will continue to exercise supervisory authority for their
personnel, subject to oversight and direction from the Assistant Attorney General for the
National Fraud Enforcement Division.
• Within 30 days of the date ofthis Memorandum, the Office of Legal Policy, after
consultation with the National Fraud Enforcement Division, Criminal Division, Justice
Management Division, and any other relevant component, shall recommend to the
Deputy Attorney General which criminal prosecutorial resources should be realigned
into the National Fraud Enforcement Division. In conducting its review, the Office of
Legal Policy shall apply a reasonable presumption that any criminal unit or section with
a mission similar to that of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, will be brought
within the new division. This includes all attorneys, analysts, and associated support and
administrative staff in the section and units identified above.
• The Deputy Attorney General will make a final decision on realignment within three
business days after receipt of the Office of Legal Policy's recommendations.
• Following the Deputy Attorney General's realignment determination, the Justice
Management Division shall facilitate the orderly transfer of identified personnel into the
National Fraud Enforcement Division, to be completed no more than 90 days following
such determination. The Justice Management Division shall coordinate with the
Criminal Division and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to implement a
realignment plan that minimizes disruptions to the workforce to the greatest extent
possible.
• Within 45 days of the realignment determination, the Office of Legal Policy shall review
the Justice Manual, relevant Department guidance, regulations, and memoranda to
determine whether updates or edits are required or prudent due to the creation of the
National Fraud Enforcement Division. Required or recommended changes shall be
submitted to the relevant officials for swift, appropriate action.
• Within 21 days of the date of this Memorandum, each U.S. Attorney's Office shall
designate an experienced prosecutor to be detailed-in-place to the National Fraud
Enforcement Division. Offices may designate a SAUSA from the office only (1) if the
SAUSA is a paid federal employee, (2) if the SAUSA is designated to the particular U.S.
Memorandum from the Acting Attorney General Page3
Subject: Creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division
Attorney's Office full time, and (3) with the agreement of the SAUSA's home agency.
Each district's detailee will be responsible for administering the mission of the National
Fraud Enforcement Division in their district. Each United States Attorney shall also
ensure that, beyond the work of the aforementioned detailee, investigations and
prosecutions of fraud against taxpayer-funded programs are adequately staffed and
diligently pursued.
• Within 14 days of the date of this Memorandum, the Criminal Division and the Executive
Office for United States Attorneys shall provide a report to the National Fraud
Enforcement Division that (1) identifies all ongoing investigations into fraud perpetrated
against taxpayer-funded programs that have been referred to Department of Justice
prosecutors; and (2) lists significant events, such as a complaint or indictment, guilty
plea, trial, or sentencing, expected to occur within the next 90 days in investigations into
fraud perpetrated against taxpayer-funded programs.
• The Department's grant-making components, in coordination with the National Fraud
Enforcement Division, the Justice Management Division, and the Executive Office for
United States Attorneys, shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law,
establish a grant program, or refocus existing grant programs, to enable state and local
prosecutors to join the mission of the National Fraud Enforcement Division as Special
Attorneys or Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
• The National Fraud Enforcement Division, in coordination with the Justice Management
Division, shall design and implement a hiring plan that enables the Department to
rapidly and substantially increase prosecutorial resources across the country to combat
fraud against taxpayer-funded programs.
• The Justice Management Division and Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management
shall support the National Fraud Enforcement Division's participation in the Attorney
General's Honors Program.
• The National Fraud Enforcement Division shall coordinate with the Justice Management
Division and other relevant components, law enforcement agencies, agency inspectors
general, and members of the Task Force created by Executive Order 14395, titled
"Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud," to establish and support a National
Fraud Detection Center dedicated to identifying fraud across taxpayer-funded programs
and generating leads for investigators and prosecutors.
• The Civil Division shall designate a National Fraud Enforcement Division liaison to
ensure that the Department leverages the full range of enforcement tools-civil and
criminal-to combat fraud against taxpayer dollars.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation shall coordinate with the National Fraud
Enforcement Division and any relevant law enforcement agencies, particularly agency
Memorandum from the Acting Attorney General Page4
Subject: Creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division
inspectors general, to ensure sufficient resources are allocated to investigating fraud
against taxpayer-funded programs. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
shall coordinate with the Justice Management Division to increase the number of agents,
analysts, and forensic accountants available to investigate fraud against taxpayer-funded
programs.
• Until further notice, the Criminal Division's Appellate Section; Money Laundering,
Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; and filter teams shall be responsible for supporting,
advising, and litigating on behalf of National Fraud Enforcement Division, consistent
with the support these units and teams provide the Criminal Division.
• Within 90 days of the date of this Memorandum, the Office of Legal Policy shall review
relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines bearing on fraud investigations, prosecutions,
and penalties, and provide recommendations to the Deputy Attorney General for
strengthening such laws, regulations, and guidelines.
• Within 120 days of the date of this Memorandum, the Office of Legal Policy shall provide
a recommendation to the Deputy Attorney General on whether non-criminal elements of
the Department should be brought within the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The Deputy Attorney General shall issue any further directives necessary to fully implement the
National Fraud Enforcement Division.
File and source
- File
- doj-memo-ag-creation-national-fraud-enforcement-division-2026-04-07.pdf
- Size
- 180,749 bytes
- SHA-256
- fe94bbca4395c87265851dbd0b6867b4f280a6d348748040e6de897d93920413
- Original
- www.justice.gov