On February 24, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago would be a lead prosecutorial partner on the recently launched interagency Trade Fraud Task Force. Originally launched on August 29, 2025, the Trade Fraud Task Force aims to aggressively pursue importers, purchasers, supply chain actors, and other entities engaged in customs fraud, including duty evasion, misclassification of goods, and smuggling of prohibited items. In this article, we evaluate DOJ’s continued commitment to designate substantial resources to its initiative to combat customs and trade fraud.

The annual False Claims Act (FCA) recovery statistics issued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for Fiscal Year 2025 represent the highest single-year recovery in FCA history, underscoring that the FCA remains one of the government’s most effective tools for combating frauds involving federal funds. Winston attorneys outline expectations for FCA enforcement in 2026 and beyond based on an analysis of FY 2025 FCA activity and the priorities and goals of the current administration.