DOJ Launches Cross-Agency Trade Fraud Task Force to Emphasize Trade Enforcement
DOJ launched a cross-agency "Trade Fraud Task Force" on Aug. 29 to "bring robust enforcement against importers and other parties who seek to defraud the United States," the agency announced. The task force will bring together attorneys from the agency's civil and criminal divisions, along with officials at CBP, to target tariff evasion and "smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy."
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The task force said it will advance the Trump administration's trade policy by enforcing trade laws through "duty and penalty collection actions under the Tariff Act of 1930, actions under the False Claims Act, and, wherever appropriate, parallel criminal prosecutions, penalties, and seizures under Title 18’s trade fraud and conspiracy provisions."
DOJ said the task force "welcomes referrals and cooperation from the domestic industries" most harmed by trade fraud. Referrals to the agency can be submitted to the Criminal Division's Corporate Whistleblower Program, the agency said, adding that parties aware of trade law violations can bring whistleblower lawsuits under the False Claims Act's qui tam provisions.
The task force also encouraged all importers to "conduct thorough audits of their importing practices and voluntarily self-disclose and remediate unlawful behavior" in line with the "Justice Manual §§ 4-4.112 and 9-74.120."