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    Major Frauds Section

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    Criminal Division


    AUSAs in the Major Frauds Section handle the most significant white-collar cases in both the public and private sectors. One section priority is corporate fraud. The section also prosecutes a wide range of business crimes, including securities and investment fraud, telemarketing fraud, savings and loan and bank fraud and embezzlements, and bankruptcy fraud. The section is working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to investigate mortgage frauds and the bank insolvencies resulting from these frauds.
    Another section priority is public corruption cases. Public corruption priorities include bribery and corruption of government officials, honest services mail and wire fraud, and tax evasion cases. An AUSA in the section serves as a coordinator for public corruption investigations within the district, working with the FBI and other local and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure that allegations of public corruption are promptly and effectively investigated and prosecuted.

    The section also handles the most significant white-collar cases involving fraud against the government. The public sector focus includes fraud in government contracts (in particular, Department of Defense contracts), government program fraud, and health care fraud. Major Frauds AUSAs work closely with investigators from the FBI, IRS, Postal Inspection Service, SEC, FTC, and CFTC, as well as with Inspectors General from a wide number of government agencies.

    AUSAs in the section serve as coordinators for a number of task forces and working groups, including: the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group, which focuses on the large scale corporate frauds that are an office priority; the Health Care Fraud task force, which focuses on all types of health care fraud; the Boilerroom Apprehension Task Force (BAT), a task force formed by the United States Attorney to combat the numerous telemarketing fraud operations in the Central District of California; Operation Canadian Eagle/Project Emptor, an FBI group that targets west coast Canadian telemarketers whose victims are in the United States; the Finanical Institution Fraud task force; the Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group; the Insurance Fraud Task Force; and the Identity Theft Task Force.

    Section Chief Telephone Address
    Douglas Axel
    Assistant United States Attorney
    (213) 894-0689 The United States Attorney's Office
    Central District of California
    Criminal Division
    Attn: Major Frauds Section
    312 North Spring Street
    Los Angeles, California 90012