OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERALPress Releases
U.S. Attorneyʼs Office for the District of Delaware Announces Creation of the Program Fraud Task Force
November 5, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General
WILMINGTON, Del. – United States Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace announced the creation of the District of Delaware’s Program Fraud Task Force. The Task Force brings together the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, more than a dozen federal law enforcement agencies, and multiple state law enforcement agencies, all focused on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting fraud against federal government programs and American taxpayers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office hosted the Task Force’s first meeting on Thursday, October 29, 2026. U.S. Attorney Wallace, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Kaufman, Civil Chief Dylan Steinberg, and District Fraud Counsel Bryan Williamson all addressed the Task Force, thanking the partner agencies for their commitment to fighting fraud and leading a discussion on how to further strengthen the federal government’s collective effort to ensure that every taxpayer dollar goes to good and proper use.
“Americans work hard for their paychecks, and they rightfully expect that every cent taken out of those paychecks in federal taxes is used as Congress intended,” said U.S. Attorney Wallace. “For too long, though, fraudsters have exploited the various benefit programs that Congress has erected. In doing so, those fraudsters steal not only from the vulnerable populations that the programs are meant to benefit, but also from every American taxpayer whose hard-earned money funds the programs. My Office and our law enforcement partners have always been dedicated to fighting fraud on the American taxpayer. But through our Program Fraud Task Force, we can—and will—improve our fraud-fighting efforts by banding together and reaping the benefits of increased collaboration.”
Delaware receives approximately $4.1 billion in direct federal funding each year for public health, housing, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, education, and other programs. Even before the formation of the Task Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners have been vigilant about detecting—and recovering—any portion of that $4.1 billion that is diverted by fraud. Over the past three fiscal years, the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s has resolved more than 20 fraud-on-the-government matters under the False Claims Act, obtaining judgments and settlements in excess of $76 million. Over the same period, meanwhile, the Office’s Criminal Division has prosecuted approximately 14 defendants for defrauding the government, with those defendants being ordered to repay the government approximately $22 million dollars in restitution.
The District of Delaware’s Program Fraud Task Force is part of a nationwide initiative to combat fraud on government programs. 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.
The law enforcement agencies joining the Program Fraud Task Force include:
- Federal Agencies
- Amtrak Office of the Inspector General (AMTRAK-OIG)
- Defense Criminal Investigative Service
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Federal Communications Commission Office of the Inspector General (FCC-OIG)
- General Services Administration Office of the Inspector General (GSA-OIG)
- Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)
- Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG)
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General (HUD-OIG)
- U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG)
- U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (DOT-OIG)
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General (VA-OIG)
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)
- U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General (SBA-OIG)
- State Agencies
- Delaware Office of the Inspector General
- Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Audit and Recovery Management Services Federal
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