USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - District of Massachusetts

The aggressive enforcement of federal civil rights laws is a top priority of the Department of Justice (DOJ), and one of the U.S. Attorney’s Office's foremost goals for this District. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes and litigates cases involving numerous criminal and civil statutes. To view a list of those statutes visit this link.

To report a civil rights violation, please call the main number of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ask to speak to the duty attorney. Alternatively:

To file an employment discrimination claim based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, or national origin, contact your local office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
To file a claim of employment discrimination based on your status as a service member or veteran, you may complete Form 1010 which can be found on the website for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). For information on your local VETS office, please visit their website.
To file a housing discrimination claim, you may contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or file a complaint online.
Please contact your local police department to report a hate crime which is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with added element of bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.
To report a color of law abuse which includes acts carried out by government, local, state and federal officials operating both within and beyond the limits of their lawful authority, please contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division.
Under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE), it is a federal crime to injure, intimidate or interfere with those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health care services. Please contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division to report a violation of FACE.
If you have knowledge of a person(s) being trafficked, please contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations OR U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Civil Rights Enforcement Team (CRET)

In May 2010, to coordinate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in enforcing federal civil rights laws, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz formed the Civil Rights Enforcement Team (CRET) which is composed of Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) and support staff from the criminal and civil divisions of this office. The primary goal of the CRET is to develop a comprehensive enforcement and outreach strategy to address civil rights issues that arise in the District of Massachusetts.

Human Trafficking

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes crimes in violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. These cases are investigated collaboratively by federal, state and local investigative agencies. The Massachusetts Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking is one collaborative which was established in December 2004 as one of 18 Department of Justice (DOJ) funded task forces around the nation. The Task Force is charged with establishing comprehensive and collaborative victim-centered strategies and procedures for combating human trafficking.

If you have knowledge of a person(s) being trafficked, please call the main number of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ask to speak to the duty attorney. You may also contact the following federal investigative agencies.