Senate Confirms Colin McDonald To Lead DOJ’s New National Fraud Enforcement Division

March 26, 2026

What's New

This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Colin McDonald to serve as Assistant Attorney General overseeing the DOJ’s newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division. McDonald was confirmed by a vote of 52-47.

DOJ says the new Division will coordinate nationwide civil and criminal fraud enforcement, oversee multi district investigations, and set national enforcement priorities across federal programs and federally funded activities. The Division will also serve as a centralized resource for high impact fraud matters across the Department.

What It Means

The Division adds another layer to the Department’s efforts to investigate fraud involving federal funds recipients. DOJ’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative already targets entities that knowingly violate federal civil rights laws, including through unlawful DEI programs, and the Department has acknowledged ongoing investigations into contractor practices. It remains unclear how these matters will be allocated among DOJ components, but the new Division’s creation signals increased coordination and attention to fraud related issues affecting federal contractors.

What You Should Do

To reduce risk exposure as DOJ increases coordination across civil and criminal fraud matters, federal contractors should:

Reassess high risk compliance representations tied to federal funding (including civil rights related obligations) and confirm they are supported by current policies, controls, training, and documentation.
Pressure test internal controls and workflows for bids, invoices, and required certifications—so claims and submissions are accurate, consistently applied across business units, and backed by auditable documentation.
Conduct targeted reviews of DEI related practices and use tools such as CWC’s DEI Risk Assessment Package to identify open risk areas, align stakeholders, and document decision making and remediation.

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