Remarks from Ellis Boyle USAO-EDNC at SE Fraud Enforcement Press Conference

Ellis Boyle, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, joined the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division in announcing sweeping fraud enforcement actions alongside a new, dedicated, federal and state anti-fraud task force in North Carolina and across the Southeast. Following a major strategic roundtable emphasizing the partnerships forged amongst federal and state prosecutors, regulators, and law enforcement agencies, DAG Colin McDonald, the National Fraud Czar heading the DOJ efforts in this battle, led a press conference in Columbia, S.C. In support, 18 U.S. Attorneys' Offices, including the EDNC, seven State Attorneys General, five federal law enforcement agencies, and over 50 state officials announced their ironclad efforts in exposing and prosecuting systemic fraud.

The DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division established this joint taskforce to aggressively track, investigate, and prosecute regional financial fraud stealing federal taxpayer dollars. The sweeping southeast regional initiative targets 17 distinct cases currently prosecuted across seven Southeastern states, highlighting more than $350 million in attempted theft perpetrated against American taxpayers. Prosecutors prioritize systemic public program abuse involving SNAP benefits, Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, federal housing assistance, and tax fraud. Showing immediate results, federal prosecutors surged enforcement actions, charging crimes in cases that account for over $90 million in losses and indicting 12 named defendants since July 4 alone.