OAN Staff Addie Davis
5:42 PM – Tuesday, April 7, 2026
During a press conference on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the launch of the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
Blanche noted that while U.S. Attorney’s Offices are currently handling over 8,000 fraud cases nationwide, this volume represents only a fraction of total illicit activity.
To address the gap, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is “supercharging” its efforts under President Donald Trump’s leadership, working in close coordination with the newly established Taskforce to Eliminate Fraud led by Vice President JD Vance.
“Because of this administration’s leadership, fraudsters, scammers, tax cheats or anyone who lies to get rich off the generosity of the American people should be on notice,” Blanche warned.
While the DOJ has a history of fighting fraud, Blanche noted that the department has lacked a “comprehensive and coordinated approach” specifically tailored to investigating and prosecuting the theft of taxpayer dollars.
“With over a trillion dollars at stake every single year, threatened by increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters, the time for this comprehensive and coordinated approach is now,” he said.
He announced further that the core mission of the division “will be to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal taxpayer dollars and rip off the American people.”
The division will be staffed by a premier team of DOJ prosecutors with expertise in healthcare, tax, benefits, and corporate fraud. Leading the initiative is newly appointed Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, with Blanche noting that every U.S. Attorney’s Office nationwide will support the expanded mission to combat fraud.
There will be an additional 93 prosecutors in every district across the U.S. devoted to the mission of combatting fraud with the division, he added.
During the press conference, Blanche also disclosed that he is directing the DOJ to establish the National Fraud Detention Center, a permanent, prosecutor-led, multi-agency, data analytics team devoted to uncovering the most harmful actors defrauding federal programs.
In January, the White House released information regarding the upcoming creation of the division. The release stated that “to combat the rampant and pervasive problem of fraud in the United States,” the division “will enforce the Federal criminal and civil laws against fraud targeting Federal government programs, Federally funded benefits, businesses, nonprofits, and private citizens nationwide.”
Blanche has been appointed to temporarily replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi — after it was announced that she will be transitioning to a new position in the private sector.
Meanwhile, the creation of the division follows revelations of rampant fraud in many states, including ongoing childcare fraud in Minnesota and hospice care fraud in California. According to a 2023 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) report, suspected hospice fraud has reached an estimated $198.1 million.
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