United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Talks Procurement Fraud, Compliance and DOJ’s New Procurement Collusion Strike Force

Crowell & Moring hosted the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, G. Zachary Terwilliger, to discuss recent DOJ enforcement trends, including the recently-announced Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF). He shared various insights including highlighting PCSF’s focus on directing resources to prosecute and prevent bad actors engaged in collusive behavior involving government funds rather than simply catching companies off guard. He also reiterated that the staggering amount of money spent by the federal government on public procurements makes the space a natural target for investigative and enforcement efforts. He added that prosecutors will be on the lookout for traditional factors of malfeasance in situations where the potential for harm to the government is the highest. Consistent with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s announcement earlier this year, he also emphasized the importance of a robust corporate compliance program and a strong culture of ethics, as articulated in DOJ’s recent guidance.