The Justice Department, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), recently organized a summit in Atlanta. The event aimed to raise awareness about collusion, corruption, and fraud schemes targeting government spending in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan and PCSF Director Daniel W. Glad led the discussions during the summit, highlighting the growth and success of the PCSF since its establishment in 2019. Buchanan and Glad emphasized the department's commitment to combating procurement collusion and stressed the significance of law enforcement partnerships in addressing threats to government spending.
The focus of the summit was on the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by substantial government spending in and around Atlanta under the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act. This legislation is set to inject billions of dollars in federal spending into Georgia over the coming years.
The summit also underscored the importance of collaboration between federal, state, and local government agencies to tackle emerging threats effectively. Participants from various agencies, including the FBI, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and others, discussed ways to enhance procurement processes to safeguard taxpayer funds and fulfill the mission of providing services to residents.
The Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) was established as a coordinated national law enforcement initiative to combat antitrust crimes and fraudulent schemes impacting procurement, grant, and program funding at all government levels. Since its inception in 2019, the PCSF has initiated over 100 criminal investigations, trained thousands of individuals, and prosecuted numerous cases involving millions of dollars in government contracts.
The summit highlighted the ongoing support of the Justice Department for the PCSF as it enters its fifth year. To learn more about the PCSF or report collusion affecting government contracts, interested parties can visit www.justice.gov/atr/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
