The Department of Justice has chosen the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago to serve as a lead prosecutorial partner on its recently formed Trade Fraud Task Force. The initiative aims to strengthen enforcement against importers, purchasers, and other supply chain participants who attempt to defraud the United States by evading customs laws or smuggling prohibited goods.
The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. According to the Department of Justice, trade fraud schemes have become more complex, with offenders seeking to import goods at below-market prices without paying required duties or bringing in restricted items that threaten public health, safety, intellectual property rights, and national security. Such activities not only reduce government revenue but also put domestic industries at risk and undermine consumer trust.
At a policy event in Arlington, Virginia, Cody Matthew Herche—head of the Trade Fraud Task Force—publicly recognized the Chicago office’s new role alongside attorneys from the Department of Justice and agents from both the Department of Homeland Security and Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Herche commended U.S. Attorney Boutros for his “partnership and extensive thought leadership in highlighting and combatting trade fraud” as well as his long-standing experience as a federal prosecutor.
During his previous tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago from 2008 to 2015, Boutros led what remain some of the largest criminal trade fraud prosecutions by the Department of Justice. These cases involved 27 corporate and individual defendants across multiple indictments with losses totaling approximately $260 million.
“As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. observed, ‘[A] page of history is worth a volume of logic,’” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Early in my career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in this Office, I led a series of momentous trade fraud prosecutions that laid the groundwork for the Trade Fraud Task Force. There were many unprecedented challenges in these difficult cases, but I was determined by a strong sense of the law and all equities, while also being fortified by an unwavering agency partner in the Department of Homeland Security in Chicago. Together we persevered and worked relentlessly for years to bring what still stand as the largest and most significant criminal trade fraud cases in our nation’s history. I take great pride in knowing that we were the architects of this enforcement area and that we were decades ahead of our time. It is also deeply satisfying that the vision we had for this enforcement area nearly 20 years ago has now been adopted at the very highest levels of the Department and is being implemented across the whole of government.”
The Northern District of Illinois covers 18 counties stretching from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River and serves as a major transportation hub within the United States. The Illinois International Port District (Port of Chicago) annually handles over 19 million tons of cargo through various modes including waterway, rail, and trucking connections across Chicago’s Southeast Side.
O’Hare International Airport ranked among global leaders for air cargo volume; it was listed as 13th worldwide for air cargo throughput in 2024 according to recent data (https://www.aircargoworld.com/news/airports/2024/05/worlds-top-20-air-cargo-airports-in-2023-ranked-by-volume/). Additionally, Chicago Rockford International Airport processed over one million tons per year—making it one of America’s busiest airports for freight (https://www.flyrfd.com/cargo/).
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Trade compliance is a key concern for not only our region’s economic security, but also that of our entire nation’s. The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will be strongly committed to holding parties accountable for their fraudulent schemes that undermine honest American competitors. We are proud to stand with our Department of Justice and agency partners as a prosecutorial leader of the Trade Fraud Task Force. I applaud the Administration for bringing greater focus, intensity, efficiency, and impact to prosecuting all varieties of trade fraud and safeguarding American ingenuity and security.”
The task force intends to advance President Trump’s America First Trade Policy through legal actions under customs law—including duty collection under statutes like those established by Tariff Act provisions—and through False Claims Act filings or parallel criminal proceedings when appropriate.
Importers or others with knowledge about potential violations are encouraged by authorities to conduct internal audits on their practices related to sourcing or importing goods; voluntary self-disclosure is recommended if unlawful behavior is found.
