A federal task force created under President Donald Trump has surpassed $1 billion in trade fraud recoveries, penalties, forfeitures, and losses tied to criminal charges, according to the Justice Department.
The Trade Fraud Task Force reached the milestone less than a year after it was launched by the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security in August 2025. Officials announced the results on July 14.
The task force targets individuals and businesses accused of cheating U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Common schemes include avoiding tariffs, mislabeling products, and providing false information about where imported goods were produced.
Investigators are also pursuing companies that allegedly route products through other countries to hide their true origin.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said customs fraud has often been treated as little more than an added business expense.
“For too long, fraud actors have viewed customs violations as a mere surcharge or cost of doing business,” McDonald said in a Justice Department statement.
He said the $1 billion milestone showed that federal officials now view trade fraud as a serious economic crime.
The task force’s investigations can cover every part of the supply chain. That includes importers, customs brokers, distributors, and companies that knowingly benefit from illegally imported goods.
Officials have placed particular attention on attempts to avoid Section 301 tariffs. Those tariffs may be imposed in response to unfair foreign trade practices.
The Justice Department said the enforcement campaign is designed to protect American businesses from competitors that gain an advantage by avoiding customs duties.
Federal prosecutors announced two major cases involving imported gold jewelry on the same day that the task force’s results were released.
In the first case, Raj Kohli and Veena Kohli were charged with falsely claiming that imported jewelry came from Singapore. Prosecutors allege the products actually originated in India and the United Arab Emirates.
The defendants operated Surya International in San Francisco, according to prosecutors.
Authorities said the alleged scheme involved about 563 import entries between 2020 and 2024. The jewelry was valued at more than $693 million.
Prosecutors allege the false declarations allowed the company to avoid more than $38 million in customs duties.
A separate case involved Narain Gulabani, the owner of Barkha Wholesale in Naperville, Illinois.
Gulabani was accused of falsely identifying Oman or Singapore as the country of origin for imported gold jewelry between 2016 and 2021.
Authorities said that case involved about 242 import entries valued at more than $240 million. The alleged scheme avoided more than $13.6 million in customs duties.
The Justice Department and Homeland Security said the task force will continue using criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions to target trade fraud.
Officials said the effort is also meant to strengthen U.S. border enforcement and prevent fraudulent importers from undercutting businesses that follow federal trade laws.