On July 11 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)  announced a new Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud.  The wide-ranging Task Force will be chaired by the Deputy Attorney General and work towards:

[T]he investigation and prosecution of cases involving fraud on the government, the financial markets, and consumers, including cyber-fraud and other fraud targeting the elderly, service members and veterans, and other members of the public; procurement and grant fraud; securities and commodities fraud, as well as other corporate fraud, with particular attention to fraud affecting the general public; digital currency fraud; money laundering, including the recovery of proceeds; health care fraud; tax fraud; and other financial crimes.

While the Task Force will be led by the DOJ, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Trade Commission, it will work with a broad range of government agencies.   The Task Force will invite participation from the:

  • Department of Treasury,
  • Department of Defense,
  • Department of Health and Human Services,
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development,
  • Department of Energy,
  • Department of Education,
  • Department of Veterans Affairs,
  • Department of Homeland Security,
  • the Small Business Administration,
  • the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,
  • the Social Security Administration,
  • the United States Agency for International Development,
  • the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection,
  • the Federal Trade Commission,
  • the Securities and Exchange Commission,
  • the General Services Administration,
  • the National Credit Union Administration,
  • the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,
  • the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
  • the Federal Housing Finance Agency,
  • the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and
  • the Postal Inspection Service.

The President’s Executive Order directing the Attorney General to establish the Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud stated that the new Task Force will replace the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  The Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force was created by President Barack Obama under Executive Order 13519.