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National Fraud Enforcement Unit

National Fraud Enforcement Division

Many of the largest scale white-collar prosecutions are not led by local Assistant United States Attorneys. Instead, there are national groups within the Department of Justice that lead this complex and important fraud prosecutions. One of the most active groups in the last few years has been the Health Care Fraud Unit which has run task forces nationwide prosecuting doctors and pharmacists. The Department of Justice is now forming a National Fraud Enforcement Division which is going to reorganize and potentially change the game in federal criminal prosecutions.

Our team at Evergreen Attorneys focuses exclusively on helping clients with federal criminal matters and serious felonies. If you are dealing with the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the DOJ Health Care Fraud Unit, the DOJ Market, Government, and Consumer Fraud Unit, or the DOJ Criminal Tax Section you should reach out.

Call (303) 948-1489 or email us at [email protected] today to get in touch with a partner who can handle your federal criminal defense and investigation compliance needs.

Why Hire Evergreen Attorneys for Your Case?

At Evergreen Attorneys, we know that we are not a good fit for most clients facing criminal charges. In fact, we are incredibly selective about the cases which we take. We are fortunate enough to decline or refer out to other attorneys the vast majority of cases that come through our doors.

That is simply because we are laser focused on being the best federal criminal defense team in Colorado. Our client-centered approach allows us to deliver incredible results in federal criminal cases while operating at a small boutique that practices across the United States.

Here is the quick rundown of our differentiators:

  • We only focus on federal cases and high-stakes felonies. No family law, no medical malpractice, no transactional lawyers, and no traffic tickets.
  • We only employ experienced partner-level attorneys. No fresh-faced associates right out of law school.
  • We are a boutique federal defense law firm. We are selective with our cases and every decision we make is tailored toward providing client-first exceptional criminal defense.
  • Evergreen Attorneys handles criminal cases nationwide. We are not interested in being golfing buddies with the prosecutor.

What is the National Fraud Enforcement Division?

Until April of 2026, there was no such thing as the National Fraud Enforcement Division. More specifically, the National Fraud Enforcement Division was created at the direction of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche via a memorandum on April 7, 2026. You can find a copy of that memo here on the DOJ website: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche-issues-memorandum-creation-national-fraud-enforcement

The 30,000 foot view is that the National Fraud Enforcement Division is a centralization of various different task-forces and units that the federal Department of Justice already operated. By creating one centralized National Fraud Enforcement Division, the DOJ prosecuting authorities will likely create more centralized control over federal criminal white-collar cases from Washington, D.C.

What is the DOJ Health Care Fraud Division?

It is important to understand the component divisions or units that DOJ is combining at this point for practitioners and clients alike. We will be focusing on the Health Care Fraud Unit mostly in this article because they are extremely aggressive and prolific in the number of cases they file.

We will start off with the basics. The DOJ Health Care Fraud Unit is a small portion of the federal prosecutorial ranks. According to the DOJ, the Health Care Fraud Unit is compromised of less than 100 nationwide experienced white-collar prosecutors. See https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

The DOJ claims that the Health Care Fraud Unit’s “core mission” is to protect government programs and spending such as Medicare, Medicaid, and to protect against overprescribing of controlled substances. Again, the DOJ claims that the Health Care Fraud Unit “conducts more trials” than any other DOJ group. And they claim that they lead the largest and most complex health care fraud trial in the country.

What are the Health Care Fraud Strike Forces?

The DOJ Health Care Fraud Unit is infamous among federal criminal defense practitioners for its use of the so-called “Strike Force” model. Essentially, these 8-strike forces across the country exist to solely go hunting for ways to prosecute individuals associated with the practice of medicine or the business of health care. Here is a list of the 8 strike force groups for the DOJ Health Care Fraud Unit:

These health care fraud strike forces have been used by the Department of Justice in various regions since March 2007. They have significant prosecutorial discretion in cases involving corporate accountability and company wide systemic fraud or illegal conduct.

There is widespread criticism of the aggressive prosecutorial tactics that the Health Care Fraud Units have employed against physicians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners.

For example, the DOJ routinely tried to lower the burden of proof and convict doctors for merely acting below the standard of care instead of having criminal intent. Thankfully, the U.S. Supreme Court threw that playbook out the window in the case of Ruan v. United States, docket no.  20-1410 (2022).

What to expect from the National Fraud Enforcement Unit?

The AG memo issued and linked above provides that there will be a dedicated point person in every prosecutor’s office across the country. The memo also directs that specific steps be taken to create the new unit and streamline these divisions in the next quarter.

We are hopeful that centralizing some of the prosecutorial discretion would rein in the abusive over-charging we see day-to-day from the white-collar fraud units. Although the Trump administration has stated lofty goals of dialing back the lawfare, we still see questionable indictments and federal criminal cases on the ground regularly.

In practice, it is too soon to know what is going to happen. The inside baseball answer is that this memo looks like a consolidation of power and decision-making back in Washington, D.C. at “home justice” as opposed to out in the strike force teams. Whether or not that holds to be true is something we will be keeping an eye on.

What Else Do You Know About Health Care Fraud Cases?

Because the federal government is so darn aggressive in this area of law, the team at Evergreen Attorneys routinely defends health care professionals and companies in federal court. We have written extensively about these types of cases in the past and you can find some of that content at the following links below:

What Do Clients Say About Evergreen Attorneys?

Our practice recognizes that preserving professional licensure and continued program participation eligibility often represent equally important priorities while avoiding criminal penalties.

Our comprehensive defense strategy addresses potential consequences, including administrative actions, civil liability under the False Claims Act, and possible exclusion proceedings. Contact the federal fraud defense team at Evergreen Attorneys.

Contact Evergreen Attorneys Today

If you are facing a federal criminal investigation or federal charges, contact Evergreen Attorneys to speak to a lawyer right now. Early legal intervention can significantly improve your chances of a favorable outcome.

Call 303-948-1489 or email our managing partner directly at [email protected].

About the Author

Zachary Newland

Zachary Newland is an attorney, author, aspiring BBQ connoisseur, and mediocre skier. Zachary's law practice is focused on federal criminal defense, federal appellate advocacy including post-conviction remedies, civil rights litigation, and complex trial work. Zach lives in Evergreen, Colorado with his family. You can reach Zach at [email protected] to discuss your case or call him directly at 303-948-1489.

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