On August 13, 2026, the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) National Fraud Enforcement Division (the “NFED”), Colin M. McDonald, released a memorandum outlining NFED’s enforcement priorities. The memorandum is the first memo of this kind from NFED.
The establishment of NFED earlier this year represented a watershed moment for federal fraud prosecution, as it established DOJ’s first-ever division dedicated exclusively to combating fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs. With a stated goal of having 500 prosecutors and staff by August 24, NFED seeks to deploy “cutting-edge data analysis” across a “whole-of-government” effort. The establishment of NFED signals a fundamental shift in federal fraud enforcement, one that seeks to compress investigation timelines and narrow the window for voluntary disclosures. Breaking down data…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.