WATCH: Bondi successor reveals shocking number of fraud cases with eye-popping taxpayer theft
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed that the Justice Department is investigating more than 8,000 fraud cases, which he said represent over $1 trillion in taxpayer funds potentially stolen each year by "increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters."
Blanche, who is filling in for the role after former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s sudden ouster last week, said just a few of the fraud schemes being investigated by the DOJ recently resulted in a guilty plea by fraudsters for "stealing over half a billion dollars from taxpayers." He noted that the 8,000 cases "represent a fraction of the fraud ripping off our country every day."
He said the recently launched DOJ National Fraud Enforcement Division will "work closely" with the Vice President JD Vance-led Task Force to Eliminate Fraud to pursue a "comprehensive and coordinated approach" to investigating fraud.
"Because of this administration's leadership, fraudsters, scammers, tax cheats or anyone who lies to get rich off the generosity of the American people should be on notice," he said, noting, "Our goal is to prevent this from ever happening again."
Blanche delivered the remarks Tuesday in what was his first press conference as acting head of the DOJ. The conference came days after Bondi was abruptly removed from her role as attorney general by President Donald Trump. Blanche refused to speculate on the reason for Bondi’s removal, saying, "Nobody has any idea … except for the president."
Though Bondi’s leadership of the DOJ has been heavily criticized, especially by Democrats, Blanche praised her "vision and her commitment to justice." He signaled continuity between her leadership and his, particularly on fraud investigations.
The Trump administration has made such investigations a priority following revelations about rampant Medicaid and childcare fraud in Minnesota involving the state’s Somali immigrant community. Just last week, Trump named Vance fraud czar and tasked him with tackling fraud schemes, which he said are most rampant in blue states.
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Blanche said, "Every day, Department of Justice investigators and prosecutors work to punish those who commit fraud."
"For example, just this week, and it's only Tuesday, a criminal defendant was sentenced, and the department obtained two additional guilty pleas and matters totaling over half 1 billion dollars in health care and COVID fraud," he said. "If you think about that, just since yesterday, we had a guilty plea in a $160 million health care enrollment fraud scheme, a sentencing in a $100 million COVID-19 fraud case, and a guilty plea in a $160 million health care fraud scheme as well."
He said the DOJ is "supercharging" its efforts through the new division, involving every U.S. attorney across the country in efforts to "take down every fraudster and bring them to justice."
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"With over $1 trillion at stake every single year, threatened by increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters, the time for this comprehensive and coordinated approach is now," he said, adding, "So, to the fraudsters who seek to take advantage of our nation, let this be a warning."