The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is among several inspector general offices and federal agencies that are partnering with the Department of Justice on the launch of the National Fraud Detection Center.
The NFDC will bring together federal law enforcement groups and analytical capabilities to generate criminal leads to increase fraud prosecutions and enhance fraud-fighting results, the Justice Department said on Aug. 24.
In addition, the new center makes up for a lack of cross-program visibility that officials say has hindered efforts to deter fraud on taxpayer-funded programs, which has enabled fraudsters to perpetrate schemes across multiple federal government programs without detection.
“The NFDC closes this gap by bringing partners across federal and state government together to break down silos and work collaboratively in a whole-of-government approach to eliminate fraud,” the DOJ said in a media release.
“The creation of the NFDC marks a decisive shift in how the federal government detects and investigates complex fraud,” Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a statement. “By breaking down institutional silos, embedding analysts from across the IG [inspector general] community, and leveraging shared technology, the NFDC is actively closing the window of opportunity for bad actors who seek to exploit taxpayer dollars.”
As a signatory of the NFDC Charter, TIGTA said Wednesday it’s committed dedicated analysts and investigators to the prosecutor-led effort to strengthen interagency coordination to detect and dismantle complex fraud schemes.
“TIGTA’s participation in the National Fraud Detection Center strengthens our collective ability to identify emerging fraud schemes, connect information across agencies, and act quickly to protect taxpayers and the integrity of IRS programs,” John Kirk, TIGTA’s deputy inspector general for investigations, said in a statement on Aug. 26.
By joining forces with the DOJ’s Fraud Division, which was created last April, as well as other inspector general offices and federal law enforcement agencies, TIGTA says it’s committed to holding accountable those who seek to defraud taxpayer-funded federal programs and abuse public trust.
“Consistent with our independent oversight mission, TIGTA has a long-standing record of working with the Department of Justice and other federal law enforcement partners when our missions intersect,” Kirk said. “We look forward to strengthening that collaboration through the NFDC and contributing TIGTA’s investigative expertise to efforts to detect and eliminate fraud.”
In addition to TIGTA, the inaugural members of the NFDC include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, FinCEN, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the Treasury Department, and the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Department of War Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Social Security Administration.
The NFDC is also partnering with the secretaries of state of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina; the state treasurers of Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina; and the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
The Fraud Division initiative is being led by Acting Assistant Director Amanda Riedel of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and Acting Chief Cody Matthew Herche of the Global Trade & Commerce Enforcement Section.
The Fraud Division investigates and prosecutes those who commit fraud against Americans. Its work to combat fraud supports President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a government effort chaired by Vice President JD Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.
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Tags: fraud, fraud detection, IRS, tax fraud, Taxes, TIGTA, Treasury Department
