US DOJ UNLEASHES FRAUD CRACKDOWN: GLOBAL TRADE, CORPORATES AND SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE CROSSHAIRS

• The US Department of Justice has formally activated it’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, NFED, creating a centralised enforcement structure designed to pursue fraud across some of the most economically consequential sectors, from healthcare and corporate misconduct to global trade and commerce.

The Fraud Division was launched in August as part of a broader DOJ effort to strengthen the federal government’s ability to detect, investigate and prosecute fraud regardless of its size or complexity. The department says its priorities include protecting public trust and financial integrity, healthcare, tax, global trade and commerce, and corporate misconduct.

At the centre of the new enforcement architecture is the Global Trade & Commerce Enforcement Section, GTCES, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminal import, trade and related fraud offences.

The section’s mandate reaches deep into the global supply chain. DOJ says prosecutors will target misconduct involving importers, trade brokers, manufacturers, distributors, warehouse operators and resellers where criminal conduct undermines US industries, evades government revenue, threatens consumer health and safety, finances foreign adversaries or involves forced labour.

The move comes alongside the Resource Guide to Trade Fraud Enforcement, jointly produced by DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security. Released in July, the guide sets out a comprehensive framework covering customs requirements, anti-trade fraud laws and the civil and criminal enforcement mechanisms available to US authorities.

The enforcement posture is already producing significant financial consequences. The DOJ says its Trade Fraud Task Force, launched with DHS in August 2025, has surpassed $1 billion in civil and criminal recoveries, penalties, forfeitures and publicly charged losses in less than one year.

The figure signals a significant shift in how Washington intends to treat customs and trade violations. Conduct that companies may previously have regarded as an administrative or financial cost is increasingly being pursued through criminal and civil enforcement channels.

For multinational businesses, the implications extend well beyond the US border. Companies participating in supply chains connected to the American market may face scrutiny over tariff evasion, customs declarations, product origin, transshipment, forced labour, product safety and the accuracy of information supplied to US authorities.

The DOJ’s broader Fraud Division is also being built around data driven investigations and closer coordination between federal prosecutors, law enforcement agencies and government bodies responsible for taxpayer funded programmes. Its stated objective is to identify complex fraud more efficiently and direct enforcement resources towards the actors presenting the greatest harm.

This creates a new compliance equation for global businesses. Trade compliance, customs controls, sanctions, anti-bribery, supply chain due diligence and corporate investigations can no longer be treated as isolated functions where misconduct crosses multiple regulatory boundaries.

The DOJ’s new structure effectively places global commerce under a more aggressive fraud enforcement microscope.

Compliance takeaway

The activation of the NFED should trigger a fresh review of trade and corporate compliance controls for companies with exposure to the US market.

Organisations should examine customs declarations, tariff classifications, country of origin data, third party intermediaries, supply chain documentation and forced labour controls. They should also test whether compliance, legal, procurement, logistics and internal audit teams can identify and escalate irregularities before they become enforcement matters.

The bigger warning is strategic. US trade fraud enforcement is no longer simply a customs issue. It is becoming a financial crime, corporate integrity and supply chain risk.

For African exporters and businesses supplying US linked supply chains, the message is particularly important. Errors or deliberate misrepresentations occurring outside the United States can still create significant exposure when goods, payments or commercial relationships ultimately enter the US market.