Monday, April 28, 2008
USDOJ Launches
New Strategy to Fight International Crime
United States Department
of Justice
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced a new strategy in the fight against international
organized crime that will address this growing threat to U.S. security and stability. The Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime (the strategy) was developed following an October
2007 International Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOC Threat Assessment) and will address the demand for a strategic,
targeted and concerted U.S. response to combat the identified threats. This strategy builds on the broad foundation the Administration
has developed in recent years to enhance information sharing, and to secure U.S. borders and financial systems from a variety
of transnational threats.
Today's announcement by the Attorney General was made during a forum hosted by the Center
for Strategic and International Studies with Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Alice
S. Fisher, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director John S. Pistole and Department of Homeland Security Assistant
Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Julie Myers.
International organized crime is defined as those self-perpetuating associations of
individuals who operate internationally for the purpose of obtaining power, influence, monetary and commercial gains, wholly
or in part by illegal means, while protecting their activities through a pattern of corruption and violence. International
organized criminals operate in hierarchies, clans, networks and cells. The crimes they commit vary as widely as the organizational
structures they employ.
The strategy establishes an investigation and prosecution framework as committed and
connected as the international organized crime structure it must combat. U.S. federal law enforcement agencies, in an unprecedented
cooperative effort on this issue, will share international organized crime information and intelligence, collectively identify
and prioritize the most significant threats and then put the full force of U.S. law enforcement’s expertise and resources
toward mitigating those threats. In addition, U.S. law enforcement will increase cooperation with international partners to
bring international criminals to justice, in the United States and abroad.
The strategy specifically reacts to the globalization of legal and illegal business,
advances in technology, particularly the Internet, and the evolution of symbiotic relationships between criminals, public
officials and business leaders that have combined to create a new, less restrictive environment within which international
organized criminals can operate. Without the necessity of a physical presence, U.S. law enforcement must combat international
organized criminals that target the relative wealth of the people and institutions in the United States while remaining outside
the country.
“As international organized criminals have adapted their tactics over time and
embraced emerging technology, we too must adapt,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. “With this strategy,
we're building a new, 21st century program that we believe will be nimble enough to fight the threat of international organized
crime for years to come.”
“International organized criminals have broadened the scope and depth of their
illegal activities, reaching into a variety of sectors to sustain their inherent quest for money and power. These modern-day
criminals threaten our physical, economic and national security, indeed, in many circumstances without even setting foot inside
U.S. borders,” said Assistant Attorney Alice S. Fisher. “With this strategy, international organized criminals
will be targeted and prosecuted in the same determined and concerted manner in which they pursue their illegal activities.”
Laid out in the strategy is a comprehensive and detailed plan that will enable the Department
and nine federal law enforcement agencies to gather their collective resources to most effectively combat the threat of international
organized crime. Ultimately, the strategy aims to create consensus among domestic law enforcement in identifying the most
significant priority targets and then unified and concerted action among domestic and international law enforcement in significantly
disrupting and dismantling those targets. This unprecedented coordination will include utilizing all available U.S. Government
programs and capabilities, including existing economic, consular and other non-law enforcement means.
In addition, as a response to international organized criminals’ ability to operate
unconstrained by national borders and geographic law enforcement jurisdictions, the strategy aims to ensure criminal laws
and operating procedures reflect the modern realities and needs of international crime fighting. Similarly vital is the need
to work in collaboration with public and private institutions that also face victimization by international organized criminals
and therefore have been forced to act to minimize the impact on their businesses.
Prior to the strategy’s development, the Department of Justice and law enforcement
partners conducted a comprehensive assessment of international organized crime. The IOC Threat Assessment lays out the threat
international organized crime poses to U.S. national security, the stability of the U.S. economy and the integrity of government
institutions, infrastructure and systems in the United States. The assessment is based on the best available information known
to the U.S. Government through the combined efforts of the law enforcement, intelligence and interagency communities.
Specifically, the IOC Threat Assessment identifies and defines eight strategic threats:
● International organized criminals have penetrated the energy market and other strategic sectors
of the U.S. and world economy. As U.S. energy needs continue to grow, so too could the power of those who control energy resources.
● International organized criminals provide logistical and other support to terrorists, foreign intelligence
services and foreign governments, all with interests acutely adverse to those of U.S. national security.
● International organized criminals traffic in people and contraband goods, bringing people and products
through U.S. borders to the detriment of border security, the U.S. economy, and the health and lives of those human beings
exploited by human trafficking.
● International organized criminals exploit the U.S. and international financial system to move illegal
profits and funds, including sending billions in illicit funds through the U.S. financial system annually. To continue this
practice, they seek to corrupt financial service providers globally.
● International organized criminals use cyberspace to target U.S. victims and infrastructure, jeopardizing
the security of personal information, the stability of business and government infrastructures and the security and solvency
of financial investment markets.
● International organized criminals are manipulating securities exchanges and engaging in sophisticated
fraud schemes that rob U.S. investors, consumers and government agencies of billions of dollars.
● International organized criminals have successfully corrupted public officials around the world,
including countries of vital strategic importance to the United States and continue to seek ways to influence – legally
or illegally – U.S. officials.
● International organized criminals use violence and the threat of violence as a basis of power.
“The activities of transnational and national organized criminal enterprises are
increasing in scope and magnitude as these groups continue to strengthen their networking with each other to expand their
operations,” said FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole. “By increasing international cooperation and information
sharing, together we can disrupt and dismantle these global, sophisticated organizations that have exploited geopolitical,
economic, social, and technological changes over the last two decades to become increasingly active worldwide.”
“Partnerships among law enforcement agencies are our most effective weapon in
combating international criminal networks,” said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration
and Customs Enforcement. “These criminal organizations pursue profit, without regard for national boundaries,
international laws or human life.”
On April 7, 2008, the Organized Crime Council, chaired by Deputy Attorney General Mark
R. Filip, recommended and the Attorney General signed The Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime.
The Attorney General has been in charge of coordinating all federal law enforcement activity against organized crime since
a 1968 executive order by President Lyndon Johnson established that authority.
Similarly, the Organized Crime Council has existed in various forms since 1970 and has
always been charged with establishing priorities and formulating a national unified strategy to combat organized crime. This
is the first time the Organized Crime Council has ever convened to focus on the threat from international organized crime
and to develop a responsive strategy to that threat. The Organized Crime Council consists of the Deputy Attorney General,
the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, the Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and
the leaders of nine participating federal law enforcement agencies, which include: Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S.
Secret Service; Internal Revenue Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Diplomatic Security; and U.S. Department of Labor’s
Office of the Inspector General.
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U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., April 23, 2008
