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“Our goal is to protect taxpayer dollars and stop the brazen
thievery of America’s wealth and generosity,” McDonald said.
Flanked by officials from other federal agencies, McDonald said
foreign actors develop schemes that can price mom-and-pop shops
out of business.
“That is a core issue that we are focused on is to make sure
that the American businesses are in a fair fight,” McDonald
said.
The task force was established by the Department of Justice and
the Department of Homeland Security to investigate and prosecute
those who defraud the government through misrepresentations to
U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
McDonald said the milestone case in Chicago that brought the
task force to the $1 billion mark involved customs duty evasion
schemes involving the false declaration of countries of origin
for gold jewelry.
“Trade fraud schemes impose severe financial consequences to the
United States, depriving the country of billions of dollars
every year,” McDonald said.
McDonald said the fraud schemes threaten U.S. national and
economic security, steal from taxpayers, undermine American
businesses, fund foreign adversaries, introduce hazardous
products and exploit modern-day slavery.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew
Boutros said the ground work for the task force was laid by a
case he took on in 2008 that involved falsely-declared and
adulterated honey from China.
“The key roads for trade fraud enforcement lead from, to and
through Chicago, both past, present and now future,” Boutros
said.
Boutros said Chicago remains one of the largest inland ports in
the country.
McDonald said whistleblowers are highly valuable to trade fraud
enforcement.
“There is whistleblower protection and there are also
whistleblower payments that can come by virtue of recovering in
those cases,” McDonald said.
Whistleblowers can alert the government to credible allegations
of fraud through provisions of the False Claims Act or through
an online form.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated in April
2024 that the federal government loses between $233 billion and
$521 billion annually to fraud.
Brett Rowland contributed to this story
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