DOJ and Seven Southeast States Launch Data-Sharing Pact to Combat $350 Million Fraud

During a Thursday meeting in Columbia, the Department of Justice and officials from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina announced a data-sharing arrangement to fight fraud that has cost the Southeast $350 million. The National Fraud Enforcement Division hosted the gathering, which included U.S. attorneys, attorneys general and over 50 state representatives. The agreement grants the DOJ access to public information—registration and payment records—related to SNAP, Small Business Administration loans and Medicaid.

Since July 4, 12 defendants have been indicted for siphoning funds from taxpayer-supported programs, a loss officials say directly harms vulnerable families. Attorney General Alan Wilson, also a gubernatorial candidate, cited a $20 million Medicaid fraud case as the largest in his state’s history. The partnership is presented as a unified front against increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.