Washington: The Department of Justice announced today that the Trade Fraud Task Force (TFTF), launched in August 2025 in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has surpassed $1 billion in civil and criminal recoveries, penalties, forfeitures, and publicly charged losses in less than one year. This milestone reflects a fundamental shift in the federal government's approach to customs and trade enforcement, emphasizing rigorous criminal prosecution and civil enforcement under the False Claims Act (FCA).
According to United States Department of Justice, for too long, fraud actors have viewed customs violations as a mere surcharge or cost of doing business. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division stated that by utilizing the Department's full weight, they are making it clear that trade fraud is a serious economic crime. This billion-dollar milestone serves as a clear message that the United States and the National Fraud Enforcement Division will no longer allow the integrity of the country's borders and markets to be compromised for illicit profit. This message should be heard loud and clear by all supply-chain actors.
The TFTF was established by the DOJ and DHS to investigate and prosecute those who defraud the government through material misrepresentations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including transshipment, mislabeling, and false declaration. Its mandate covers the entire supply chain, including importers, customs brokers, downstream distributors, industrial and commercial end-users, and other supply-chain actors who knowingly profit from merchandise imported contrary to law. Although the TFTF maintains broad enforcement authority, the task force focuses on key revenue and enforcement priorities, including the evasion of Section 301 tariffs, antidumping duties (AD), and countervailing duties (CVD), the eradication of forced labor from global supply chains that seek to exploit U.S. markets, and the prosecution of criminal violations concerning imported goods that threaten public health and safety.
Ensuring that the global supply chain remains a level playing field for law-abiding American businesses is a critical component of CBP's mission, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney S. Scott. By pairing CBP's operational reach with the DOJ's prosecutorial authority, they are dismantling the networks that seek to bypass laws and undermine economic security. Every day, CBP confronts criminal networks that exploit supply chains, endanger American families with unsafe goods, threaten the integrity of consumer and industrial markets, and undermine confidence in international commerce.
Through the Trade Fraud Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations is actively protecting American families and businesses from the dangers and consequences of illegal trade practices, said Homeland Security Investigations Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. HSI combines investigative expertise and global partnerships to confront criminal networks that threaten fair trade and the security of the nation's economic interests. By holding offenders accountable, they build trust in the products people rely on every day and support a fair marketplace for honest businesses.