DOJ's New Trade Fraud Task Force Signals Stepped-Up Enforcement, Priorities Shift Amid Corporate Fraud Crackdown

Big news out of Washington this week as the Department of Justice announced the creation of a new cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force, a move signaling stepped-up enforcement on importers and other parties suspected of defrauding the United States. This initiative will bring together the DOJ’s Civil and Criminal divisions, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations—all with a mission to crack down on tariff evasion and the importation of prohibited goods. The DOJ emphasized that actions will leverage both the False Claims Act and criminal provisions under Title 18, marking a substantial escalation in trade enforcement. For American citizens, this means the government is actively working to safeguard domestic industries and ensure fair markets. Businesses, especially importers, should prepare for increased scrutiny of reporting and compliance around tariffs and customs. The DOJ’s focus, according to enforcement leaders, is not just on busting bad actors but also ensuring that legitimate businesses aren’t unduly burdened. As DOJ Criminal Division Head Matthew Galeotti recently stated, “Overbroad and unchecked corporate and white-collar enforcement burdens U.S. businesses and harms U.S. interests… Our policies must strike an appropriate balance between prosecuting wrongdoing and minimizing unnecessary burdens on American enterprise.” Another headline this week is the DOJ's clear re-statement of its white-collar crime priorities, released in a new policy memorandum. Fraud and abuse involving government programs—think Medicare, Medicaid, and defense spending—remain top concerns. The department rolled out expanded whistleblower priorities and more incentives for companies cooperating with investigations, echoing its call for efficiency and fairness. According to legal experts at Morgan Lewis, the memo streamlines priorities to help prosecutors focus on crimes threatening citizens and the broader U.S. economy, while warning against heavy-handed interventions that could stifle innovation or penalize risk-taking by honest firms. Meanwhile, in a closely watched antitrust action, a federal court ruled on the DOJ’s ongoing lawsuit regarding Google’s search business, ordering the tech giant to open up its search data to competing companies. Google cautioned that new requirements could affect privacy and user choice, but the court stopped short of forcing divestitures of Chrome and Android, which it argued would harm consumers. On the organizational side, the DOJ is also seeking to expand its investigative footprint into state and local justice systems, suggesting a growing willingness to challenge state-level policies seen as inconsistent with federal law. Looking ahead, the new Trade Fraud Task Force is expected to ramp up investigations within months, and new corporate enforcement policies are now in effect, with the DOJ urging companies and citizens alike to report suspected fraud. For busi This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.