TREASURY DIRECTIVE 15-54

Date: January 19, 1999

Reaffirmed: November 5, 2001

Sunset Review: November 5, 2005

SUBJECT: Delegation of Authority to the Director, United States Secret Service, to Investigate Violations of 18 U.S.C. §§1956 and 1957

1. PURPOSE. This Directive delegates to the Director, United States Secret Service, authority to investigate violations of 18 U.S.C. §§1956 and 1957.

2. DELEGATION. By virtue of the authority vested in the Secretary of the Treasury by 18 U.S.C. §§981, 1956(e), 1957(e), and the authority delegated to the Under Secretary (Enforcement) by Treasury Order (TO) 101-05, there is hereby delegated to the Director, United States Secret Service:

a. investigatory authority over violations of 18 U.S.C. §§1956 and 1957 involving an offense under: 18 U.S.C. §215 (relating to commissions or gifts for procuring loans); 18 U.S.C. §§471-473 (counterfeiting of obligations or securities of the United States); 18 U.S.C. §§500-503 (counterfeiting of blank or postal money orders, postage stamps, foreign government postage and revenue stamps, and postmarking stamps); 18 U.S.C. §513 (relating to securities of States and private entities); 18 U.S.C. §641 (relating to public money, property, or records); 18 U.S.C. §656 (involving theft, embezzlement or misapplication by a bank officer or employee); 18 U.S.C. §657 (relating to lending, credit, and insurance institutions); 18 U.S.C. §658 (property mortgaged or pledged to farm credit agencies); 18 U.S.C. §1005 (fraudulent bank entries); 18 U.S.C. §1006 (relating to fraudulent federal credit institution entries); 18 U.S.C. §1007 (relating to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation transactions); 18 U.S.C. §1014 (relating to fraudulent loan and credit applications); 18 U.S.C. §1029 (fraud and related activity in connection with access devices); 18 U.S.C. §1032 (relating to concealment of assets from a conservator, receiver, or liquidating agent of a financial institution); 18 U.S.C. §1341 (relating to mail fraud); 18 U.S.C. §1343 (relating to wire fraud); 18 U.S.C. §1344 (relating to bank fraud); 18 U.S.C. §1510 (obstruction of criminal investigations); 18 U.S.C. §1512 (tampering with a witness, victim or informant); 18 U.S.C. §1513 (retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant); 18 U.S.C. §1952 (interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises); 18 U.S.C. §1956 (C) (7) (B) (iii) (relating to an offense against a foreign nation involving any scheme or attempt to defraud, by or against a foreign bank when the financial transaction occurs in whole or in part in the United States); 18 U.S.C. §2314 (transportation of stolen goods, securities, or counterfeiting articles); 18 U.S.C. §2315 (sale or receipt of stolen goods or securities); or any felony violation of section 15 of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (relating to food stamp fraud) involving a quantity of coupons having a value of not less than $5,000; and

b. seizure and forfeiture authority and related authority under 18 U.S.C. §981 and §984 relating to violations of §1956 or 1957 that are within the investigatory jurisdiction of Secret Service under paragraph 2.a., and seizure authority under 18 U.S.C. §981 and §984 relating to any other violations of 18 U.S.C. §1956 or 1957 if the bureau with investigatory authority is not present to make the seizure. Property seized under 18 U.S.C. §981 and §984 where investigatory jurisdiction is with another bureau not present at the time of the seizure shall be turned over to that bureau.

3. FORFEITURE REMISSION. The Director, United States Secret Service, is authorized to remit or mitigate forfeitures of property valued at not more than $500,000 seized pursuant to paragraph 2.b.

4. REDELEGATION. The authority delegated by this directive may be redelegated.

5. COORDINATION.

a. If at any time during an investigation of a violation of 18 U.S.C. §1956 or 1957, Secret Service discovers evidence of a matter within the jurisdiction of another Treasury bureau, Secret Service shall immediately notify that bureau of the investigation and invite that bureau to participate in the investigation. Secret Service shall attempt to resolve disputes over investigatory jurisdiction with other Treasury bureaus at the field level.

b. The Under Secretary (Enforcement) shall settle disputes that cannot be resolved by the bureaus. The Under Secretary (Enforcement) shall settle disputes over investigatory jurisdiction with the Internal Revenue Service in consultation with the Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service.

c. With respect to matters discovered within the sole investigatory jurisdiction of a Department of Justice bureau or the Postal Service, Secret Service shall adhere to the provisions on notice and coordination in the "Memorandum of Understanding Among the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General and the Postmaster General Regarding Money Laundering Investigations," dated August 16, 1990, or pursuant to any such subsequent memorandum of understanding entered pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1956(e) or 1957(e).

d. With respect to seizure and forfeiture operations and activities within its investigative jurisdiction, Secret Service shall comply with the policy, procedures, and directives developed and maintained by the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture. Compliance will include adhering to the oversight, reporting, and administrative requirements relating to seizure and forfeiture contained in such policy, procedures, and directives.

6. RATIFICATION. To the extent that any action heretofore taken consistent with this Directive may require ratification, it is hereby approved and ratified.

7. AUTHORITIES.

a. 18 U.S.C. §§981, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1961, and 2341-2346.

b. 31 U.S.C. §§5311-5326 (other than violations of 31 U.S.C. §5316).

c. 22 U.S.C. §2778.

d. Treasury Order 101-05, "Reporting Relationships and Supervision of Officials, Offices and Bureaus, Delegation of Certain Authority, and Order of Succession in the Department of the Treasury."

e. Treasury Order 102-14, "Delegation of Authority with Respect to the Treasury Forfeiture Fund Act of 1992."

8. CANCELLATION. Treasury Directive 15-54, "Delegation of Authority to the Director, United States Secret Service to Investigate Violations of 18 U.S.C. §§1956 and 1957," dated September 11, 1995, and the memorandum "Delegation of Authority to the Director, United States Secret Service, to Investigate Violations of 18 U.S.C, §§1956 and 1957, " dated February 5, 1996, are superseded.

9. OFFICE OF PRIMARY INTEREST. Office of the Under Secretary (Enforcement).

/S/
James E. Johnson
Under Secretary (Enforcement)