The U.S. Department of Justice will embark on a hiring spree to investigate and prosecute pandemic-related fraud, Law360 reports. Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement at the American Bar Association's annual white collar crime conference while outlining the government's broader strategy for policing corporate wrongdoing.
The president's 2022 budget seeks $36.5 million to hire an additional 120 attorneys nationwide to pursue pandemic relief fraudsters and $325 million to fund more than 900 federal agents in support of the FBI's white collar program. "As a defense attorney, prosecutor and judge, I have also seen the Justice Department's interest in prosecuting corporate crime wax and wane over time," Garland said via a livestream. "Today, it is waxing again." Criminal Division chief Kenneth Polite also delivered remarks at the conference, saying his office is placing fresh emphasis on serving victims of white collar crime. His office is adding a victim coordinator to his front office and directing top deputies to review how prosecutors can best serve the needs of victims, he said. The assistant attorney general also said companies will now be expected to more fully address victim issues when explaining to the government why they shouldn't be criminally charged during so-called Filip factors presentations.