DOJ Names Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office Lead Partner on Trade Fraud Task Force

JD Supra Trade Law

Published February 24th, 2026

Detected March 5th, 2026

Summary

The Department of Justice has selected the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois as a lead prosecutorial partner for its Trade Fraud Task Force. The task force aims to pursue parties evading federal customs laws and smugglers of prohibited goods, utilizing civil and criminal enforcement tools.

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What changed

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on February 24, 2026, that it has designated the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois as a lead prosecutorial partner for its cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force. This task force, launched in August 2025, is designed to aggressively pursue individuals and entities that evade federal customs laws or smuggle prohibited goods into the United States. The Chicago office's strategic location and the U.S. Attorney's prior experience in large-scale trade fraud prosecutions make it a key partner in these enforcement efforts, which will involve collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Regulated entities, including importers, their agents, purchasers, supply chain actors, and industrial/commercial end-users, are advised to conduct thorough audits of their sourcing, purchasing, and importing practices. The DOJ encourages voluntary self-disclosure and remediation of any unlawful behavior. The task force will employ enforcement tools such as duty and penalty collection actions under the Tariff Act of 1930, civil damages lawsuits under the False Claims Act, and parallel criminal prosecutions. Whistleblowers are also encouraged to report misconduct through the DOJ's Criminal Division whistleblower hotline or by utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.

What to do next

Conduct thorough audits of sourcing, purchasing, and importing practices.
Voluntarily self-disclose and remediate any identified unlawful behavior.
Report suspected trade fraud schemes to the DOJ's Criminal Division whistleblower hotline.

Penalties

Penalties, forfeitures, and seizures may be imposed through criminal prosecutions; civil damages lawsuits under the False Claims Act; and duty and penalty collection actions under the Tariff Act of 1930.

Source document (simplified)

March 4, 2026

DOJ Selects Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office as Leading Prosecutorial Partner on Trade Fraud Task Force

Bradley Henry, Anthony Rapa, Michael Schmandt, Jennifer Short Blank Rome LLP + Follow Contact LinkedIn Facebook X Send Embed

Trade Enforcement

Announcement
A press release announced on February 24, 2026 that the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has selected the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois to serve as a lead prosecutorial partner for the cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force (“Task Force”) launched in late August 2025. DOJ launched the Task Force to aggressively pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade federal customs laws, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will be closely supported by DOJ attorneys and agents from the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) and the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”).
Strategic Significance of the Northern District of Illinois
Chicago’s role as a central hub for U.S. trade offers strategic advantages for trade fraud prosecutions. Under federal law, any offense involving the importation of an object may be investigated and prosecuted in any district from, through, or into which the imported object or person moves. Approximately 19 million tons of cargo moves through the Port of Chicago each year, and more than two million tons of cargo transited O’Hare International Airport in 2024, making it the 13 th largest air cargo hub in the world. As U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros noted in the press release, “Chicago is one of the largest and most significant inland ports in the United States, allowing for expansive venue opportunities for criminal and civil trade fraud matters.”
Trade Fraud Prosecution Experience
Notably, while serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago from 2008 to 2015, Mr. Boutros led what still stands as DOJ’s largest-ever set of criminal trade fraud prosecutions, “spanning 27 corporate and individual defendants across multiple indictments, with losses totaling approximately $260 million.” Those matters involved coordinated criminal trade fraud prosecutions addressing large, multi‑defendant prosecutions involving corporate importers, intermediaries, and individual actors.
Enforcement Tools and Cooperation
The Task Force aims to pursue those who violate customs laws through duty and penalty collection actions under the Tariff Act of 1930, civil damages lawsuits under the False Claims Act (“FCA”), and, where appropriate, parallel criminal prosecutions, which can come with penalties, forfeitures, and seizures.

In its press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office suggested that importers, their agents, purchasers, other supply chain actors, and industrial and commercial end-users conduct thorough audits of their sourcing, purchasing, and importing practices, and voluntarily self-disclose and remediate unlawful behavior. Those with information about serious trade fraud schemes—including industry competitors who become aware of violations—are encouraged to report misconduct to DOJ’s Criminal Division whistleblower hotline. The release also invites whistleblowers to avail themselves of the qui tam provisions of the FCA by bringing a lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois or other appropriate jurisdiction.

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