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 13th 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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