The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice in launching a National Fraud Detection Center that will help uncover tax fraud and other forms of fraud.
As a signatory of the NFDC Charter, TIGTA said it has 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," said John Kirk, TIGTA's deputy inspector general for investigations, in a statement Wednesday.
The NFDC will provide a centralized, collaborative space bringing together federal law enforcement, the Inspector General community and state partners. TIGTA is joining forces with the DOJ's Fraud Division, its fellow inspector general offices and federal law enforcement agencies.
"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 stated. "We look forward to strengthening that collaboration through the NFDC and contributing TIGTA's investigative expertise to efforts to detect and eliminate fraud."
The prosecutor-led, multi-agency team will investigate people defrauding federal government programs, including ones overseas and those operating fraud schemes across federal programs. The NFDC will bring together law enforcement agencies and analytical capabilities to generate criminal leads to drive more impactful prosecutions and enhance fraud-fighting results for the American people.
"The creation of the NFDC marks a decisive shift in how the federal government detects and investigates complex fraud," said Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division, in a statement. "By breaking down institutional silos, embedding analysts from across the IG community, and leveraging shared technology, the NFDC is actively closing the window of opportunity for bad actors who seek to exploit taxpayer dollars. Today's announcement sends a clear message: if you defraud federal programs, we have the tools and the law enforcement partners to find you."
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.
It is also partnering with several states, mostly ones headed by Republicans, including 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.
