Justice Dept. Takes Aim at Procurement Fraud The Justice Department has formed a procurement fraud task force intended “to promote the early detection, prevention and prosecution” of fraud. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty announced creation of the interagency group. He had established a similar task force when he was a U.S. Attorney in Virginia. (SAA, 3/4/05) The group includes the FBI and inspectors general of the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, State and others. The head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher, will chair the task force. “Procurement fraud cheats American taxpayers and harms the government’s efforts to obtain the goods and services needed for its mission,” McNulty said in a statement. “At a time of heightened concern for our nation’s security, every tax dollar is precious.” The department said the task force will focus its efforts on these priorities, among others: •Identification and prosecution of viable procurement fraud cases through coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ offices and inspectors general’s field offices; •Better coordination between agency auditors and investigators to ensure that red flags and badges of fraud are promptly reported to criminal investigators for follow-up investigation; •Better identification and resolution of investigative and coordination issues as they arise in joint cases (such as audit support and information sharing); •Specialized training for OIG agents and auditors on the development and prosecution of procurement fraud cases; •Examination of existing laws and policies to determine if they need to be strengthened or changed; •Development of strategies encouraging agencies to refer more cases for civil and criminal prosecution; and •Better coordination of targeted civil, regulatory and criminal enforcement actions.