New Federal Task Force Formed In Region
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the creation of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (“EDPA”) Interagency Fraud Task Force (“IFTF”), consisting of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division (“NFED”), and 14 other federal law enforcement agencies. Through expanded data-sharing and investigative cooperation, the IFTF will focus on detecting, investigating, and prosecuting those who defraud and steal from American taxpayers.
Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office (“USAO”) hosted the first meeting of the IFTF, attended by federal prosecutors and representatives of the member agencies. Topics of discussion included cultivating all available criminal intelligence, innovating methods for identifying leads, and enhancing cross-agency collaboration and information sharing.
“The great fraud of our time has been against the American taxpayer by criminals who have looted government benefits programs,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf said. “Although we have enjoyed strong partnerships with individual agencies to combat this threat, it is time to get everyone to the table and muster a total approach to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting government fraud. Safeguarding the public fisc requires nothing less than striking fear in the heart of every fraudster who would steal from the national till.”
At today’s meeting, U.S. Attorney Metcalf thanked the agencies comprising the EDPA Interagency Fraud Task Force for their collaboration and commitment to the fighting fraud on behalf of the U.S. government and the taxpayers who fund it.
The 14 federal law enforcement agencies joining the USAO and NFED on the IFTF:
► Defense Criminal Investigative Service
► Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
► Drug Enforcement Administration
► Federal Bureau of Investigation
► Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations
► Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
► Homeland Security Investigations
► Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General
► Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
► Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General
► Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General
► Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
► U.S. Postal Inspection Service
► Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General
These efforts are part of the nationwide initiative to combat fraud led by the White House and Department of Justice. On March 16, 2026, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14395, directing federal agencies to coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive strategy to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse within federal benefit programs, to be led by the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Alex Lloyd Gross File Photo Delaware Valley News.com Vice President JD Vance
The IFTF is also an outgrowth of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Government Fraud Alliance and its overall White-Collar Justice Program. In 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office instituted the Government Fraud Alliance to formalize our “whole of government” approach to white-collar enforcement, ensuring that our criminal and civil attorneys and investigators work closely with one another and federal agency partners to maximize fraud enforcement efforts. By creating the IFTF to bring together in one room our criminal and civil leadership and the agencies to combat the problem of government fraud, this program enhances the Government Fraud Alliance even further.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.