A press release from the Department of Justice announced on July 14, 2026, that the Trade Fraud Task Force (TFTF), which was first created and launched into action in August 2025, along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have officially surpassed over a billion dollars in civil and criminal recoveries, penalties, forfeitures, and publicly charged losses in less than a year’s time.
The release noted that this massive achievement highlights a monumental shift in how the federal government approaches customs and trade enforcement under the leadership of President Donald Trump that places heavy emphasis on rigorous criminal prosecution and civil enforcement under the False Claims Act (FCA).
“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. “By utilizing the Department’s full weight, we are making it clear that trade fraud is a serious economic crime.”
“This billion-dollar milestone demonstrates that the United States and the National Fraud Enforcement Division will no longer allow the integrity of our country’s borders and markets to be compromised for illicit profit. This message should be heard loud and clear by all supply-chain actors,” McDonald went on to add, according to the release.
The TFTF was put together in a joint partnership with the DOJ and DHS with the purpose of investigating and then prosecuting individuals who try to defraud the government through “material misrepresentations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including “transshipment, mislabeling, and false declaration.” The task force’s mandate covers the whole supply chain.
This includes importers, customs brokers, downstream distributors, industrial and commercial end-users, and other supply-chain actors who make a whole lot of money from merchandise that is imported into the U.S. through means contrary to the law. “Ensuring that the global supply chain remains a level playing field for law-abiding American businesses is a critical component of CBP’s mission,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney S. Scott explained.
“By pairing CBP’s operational reach with DOJ’s prosecutorial authority, we are dismantling the networks that seek to bypass our laws and undermine our economic security. Every day, CBP confronts criminal networks that exploit our supply chains, endanger American families with unsafe goods, threaten the integrity of our consumer and industrial markets, and undermine confidence in international commerce,” Scott continued.
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“Our message is clear: those who seek to exploit America’s trade system will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice,” he added. 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 our nation’s economic interests. By holding offenders accountable, we build trust in the products people rely on every day and support a fair marketplace for honest businesses,” Condon continued. Some of the cases that contributed to the $1 billion involved false declaration of countries of origin for gold jewelry, among other illegally imported goods.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video