Latest news with #Galeotti
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
New DOJ Whistleblower Policy Bad News For Employers Of Immigrants And H-1B Visa Holders
A seal for the Department of Justice is seen on a podium on March 21, 2024. Under a new policy, the ... More Justice Department will prioritize whistleblower tips about employers accused of violating federal immigration law. (Photo by) Under a new policy, the Justice Department will prioritize whistleblower tips about employers accused of violating federal immigration law. The policy would allow the DOJ to expand efforts to prosecute employers of immigrants and H-1B visa holders. A Department of Justice memo issued in February 2025 directed federal prosecutors to prioritize immigration-related cases. The new whistleblower policy confirms that the Trump administration's top issue remains immigration enforcement. Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the criminal division at the Department of Justice, announced an expansion of the DOJ's whistleblower program to include immigration and other areas. 'We have made changes to our corporate whistleblower program to reflect our focus on the worst actors and most egregious crimes,' Galeotti told attendees at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Conference on May 12, 2025. 'To do this, I asked MLARS [Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section] and Fraud to review the corporate whistleblower awards pilot program and recommend additional areas of focus reflecting the Administration's priorities.' 'Today, we have added the following priority areas for tips: procurement and federal program fraud; trade, tariff, and customs fraud; violations of federal immigration law; and violations involving sanctions, material support of foreign terrorist organizations, or those that facilitate cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations, including money laundering, narcotics, and Controlled Substances Act violations,' said Galeotti. (Emphasis added.) He noted, 'As with every other area in our program, these tips must result in forfeiture to be eligible for an award.' On February 5, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo informing Justice Department employees that 'immigration enforcement' tops the DOJ's list of prosecution priorities. 'The Department of Justice shall use all available criminal statutes to combat the flood of illegal immigration that took place over the last four years, and to continue to support the Department of Homeland Security's immigration and removal initiatives,' according to the memo. She singled out prosecutions for violating the Alien Registration Act and 'bringing in and harboring aliens,' a provision that authorities have not used extensively against employers. The memo noted that failing to pursue immigration-related cases could have consequences for DOJ attorneys. 'Any declinations of immigration-related offenses shall be disclosed as Urgent Reports . . . On a quarterly basis, each U.S. Attorney's Office shall report statistics to the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.' U.S. attorneys have received the message. On April 11, 2025, a press release in Texas was headlined: 'U.S. Attorney's Office Adds 295 New Immigration Cases in One Week.' According to the release, 'Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 295 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 4 through April 10.' The press release states: 'These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration . . .' The priorities of other law enforcement personnel also have changed. 'FBI field offices around the country have been ordered to assign significantly more agents to immigration enforcement, a dramatic shift in federal law enforcement priorities that will likely siphon resources away from counterterrorism, counterintelligence and fraud investigations,' reports NBC News. Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel (L) and U.S. Attorney General Pam ... More Bondi speak during a press conference to announce the results of Operation Restore Justice on May 07, 2025. (Photo by) U.S. employers may not appreciate the potential impact of the Justice Department's new focus. 'Employers do not appear to grasp the depth and breadth of options DOJ and DHS may have to bring enforcement actions,' said Chris Thomas, a partner with Holland & Hart. 'Though these agencies have shown restraint in the types of criminal cases they have brought in the past, employers should not make the mistake of assuming prior enforcement activity will serve as any indication of what may be coming.' Thomas notes that being raided and hit with criminal charges can debilitate business operations and result in long-term reputational damage. Criminal exposure can include prison terms of up to 10 years per count, fines of up to $500,000 per count and forfeiture of assets. The Department of Justice's Criminal Division operated a Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program that compensated individuals who provided 'original and truthful information about corporate misconduct that results in a successful forfeiture.' Until the recent expansion, the whistleblower information needed to relate to '(1) certain crimes involving financial institutions, from traditional banks to cryptocurrency businesses; (2) foreign corruption involving misconduct by companies; (3) domestic corruption involving misconduct by companies; or (4) health care fraud schemes involving private insurance plans.' DOJ can apply the new whistleblower policy against employers of H-1B visa holders and other highly skilled foreign-born professionals. 'It can be and will be used against H-1B employers, along with potentially companies employing L-1, O-1 and TN visa holders,' said Thomas. 'If anybody blew the whistle for an employer knowingly offering false information, charges could be brought. We have even seen DOJ prosecute employers that provide misleading invitation letters for business visitors, such B-1 or ESTA [Electronic System for Travel Authorization], claiming that they are coming for meetings, when they are coming to engage in work.' In recent weeks, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued Requests for Evidence for H-1B and employment-based immigrant petitions, claiming to have 'adverse information' on individuals. Those actions appear focused on specific employees rather than companies. For the past four months, the Trump administration has laid the groundwork to pursue new criminal priorities likely to affect employers of immigrants and temporary visa holders. 'As the rhetoric translates into significant raids and criminal charges, employers will be forced to take compliance much more seriously,' said Chris Thomas. 'At that point, however, it may be too late.'
Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
DOJ Incentivizes Corporate Reporting, Whistleblowing for Sanctions, Tariffs, Immigration Violations
Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, announced a new white-collar crimes enforcement plan at a May 12 financial conference, spotlighting the Trump administration's focus on disrupting transnational networks that evade U.S. sanctions, tariffs, and immigration law. It also expanded its whistleblower program to cover these priority areas. The DOJ will be pulling back on monitoring American corporations, while incentivizing companies to self-report and cooperate with investigations against bad actors. 'Self-disclosure is key to receiving the most generous benefits the Criminal Division can offer. Why? Because coming forward and coming clean lets the Department devote its resources to investigating and prosecuting individual wrongdoers and the most egregious criminal schemes,' Galeotti The DOJ had amended its disclosure policy to incentivize reporting in 2023, highlighting a general policy of deferred or non-prosecution agreements for cooperating companies. The Galeotti said the DOJ is prioritizing tips and whistleblower reports for fraud in government programs like Medicare or procurement; violations of sanctions, especially in ways that support terrorist organizations; and trade violations such as tariff and customs fraud. Related Stories 5/13/2025 5/8/2025 White collar crimes have been tied to the material support of foreign hostile nations and terrorist organizations, Galeotti said, especially in money laundering. In a 'Illicit financial and logistical networks undermine our national security by facilitating sanctions evasion by hostile nation-states and terror regimes,' Galeotti said in his May 12 speech. In Treasury Department sanctions targeting Iranian regime-backed terrorist groups and the Chinese military, for example, the networks often span the globe. On May 13, the Treasury Department A March 20 A February
Toronto Star
03-05-2025
- Toronto Star
U.S. lays charges alleging human smuggling across Canadian border
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice said four Mexican nationals have been charged with allegedly running a human smuggling operation across the Canadian border. A news release on Friday said the four men charged thousands of dollars to bring people from Mexico to Canada, then across the international border into northern New York. 'As alleged, these defendants illegally entered this country and then sought to smuggle hundreds of aliens per week to the United States from Mexico, Central America, and South America through the Canadian border,' said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice department's criminal division, in the news release. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The department said the organization had been operating for two years in Mexico, Canada and the United States. On multiple occasions, the organization led local and federal law enforcement officers on high-speed vehicle chases along the Canada-U.S. border, the department said. In April 2023, the department alleged smugglers were chased by border patrol after setting off a sensor. The vehicle was eventually stopped and found to be transporting seven adults and three minors. Three months later, the department alleges members of the same organization drove erratically, ran a red light and struck another vehicle at an intersection. The driver and six others fled the scene but were apprehended later. Galeotti said in the news release that the men made people record testimonial videos about their services but 'in reality, the defendants imperiled their human cargo and innocent American lives when they repeatedly engaged in life-threatening conduct, including multiple high-speed getaways from law enforcement.' Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 23, Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 35, Samuel Diaz-Perez, 26, and Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 32, were charged with conspiracy to bring people to the U.S. and 25 counts of bringing people illegally to the United States for profit. The department said two of the men were arrested in the U.S., while the other two had previously been removed from the country.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
U.S. lays charges alleging human smuggling across Canadian border
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice said four Mexican nationals have been charged with allegedly running a human smuggling operation across the Canadian border. A news release on Friday said the four men charged thousands of dollars to bring people from Mexico to Canada, then across the international border into northern New York. "As alleged, these defendants illegally entered this country and then sought to smuggle hundreds of aliens per week to the United States from Mexico, Central America, and South America through the Canadian border," said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice department's criminal division, in the news release. The department said the organization had been operating for two years in Mexico, Canada and the United States. On multiple occasions, the organization led local and federal law enforcement officers on high-speed vehicle chases along the Canada-U.S. border, the department said. In April 2023, the department alleged smugglers were chased by border patrol after setting off a sensor. The vehicle was eventually stopped and found to be transporting seven adults and three minors. Three months later, the department alleges members of the same organization drove erratically, ran a red light and struck another vehicle at an intersection. The driver and six others fled the scene but were apprehended later. Galeotti said in the news release that the men made people record testimonial videos about their services but "in reality, the defendants imperiled their human cargo and innocent American lives when they repeatedly engaged in life-threatening conduct, including multiple high-speed getaways from law enforcement." Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 23, Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 35, Samuel Diaz-Perez, 26, and Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 32, were charged with conspiracy to bring people to the U.S. and 25 counts of bringing people illegally to the United States for profit. The department said two of the men were arrested in the U.S., while the other two had previously been removed from the country. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025. Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
