As the Trump administration expands its effort to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse across government programs, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen is strengthening the state’s role by entering a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at detecting business fraud and protecting Alabama businesses and consumers.

Allen signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday during the Southeast Regional Fraud Enforcement Partnership conference in Columbia, South Carolina. The agreement establishes a formal data-sharing partnership between the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office and the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, allowing investigators to more quickly identify and combat fraudulent business filings.

“I am committed to protecting Alabama businesses and consumers from the harmful effects of fraud. I fully support all efforts, including direct partnerships with federal law enforcement, to identify and combat criminal activity,” Allen said. “This memorandum of understanding will help us achieve our goal of eliminating business filing fraud, one step at a time.”

Under the agreement, the Secretary of State’s Office will regularly provide law enforcement with publicly available business registration records and Uniform Commercial Code records at no cost. The information is intended to help investigators detect fraudulent business filings and support criminal investigations involving financial crimes.

Allen said the agreement builds on his efforts to make Alabama an attractive place to do business while protecting the integrity of the state’s business filing system.

“As Secretary of State, I have worked hard to make Alabama a business-friendly place through cutting unnecessary fees and government red tape. Alabama businesses must be able to operate with confidence and know that their government is working to combat fraud and safeguard the integrity of our business filing system,” Allen said.

The partnership comes as the Trump administration expands its federal-state anti-fraud efforts through the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, created to support President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

During the conference, Justice Department officials announced 17 fraud cases spanning Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina involving more than $350 million in intended losses tied to SNAP benefits, Small Business Administration loans, housing benefits and tax fraud. Officials also announced new federal-state cooperation agreements with each of the seven participating states and the creation of anti-fraud task forces in North Carolina, Mississippi and Florida.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the initiative demonstrates the administration’s commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars and strengthening cooperation between state and federal officials.

“We appreciate the Trump Administration’s commitment to rooting out fraud in government healthcare programs, including the creation of a dedicated state-federal partnership to lead this fight. Thanks to the Administration’s serious commitment to ending waste, fraud, and abuse, we now have the tools and coordination needed to identify bad actors and hold them accountable. Together, we are protecting the integrity of Medicaid and the taxpayer dollars that fund it,” Marshall said.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald said partnerships between federal and state agencies are essential to identifying fraud and protecting taxpayers.

“Defeating the fraud epidemic in our country requires all-hands-on-deck from our federal and state partners nationwide,” McDonald said. “Whether it’s sharing intelligence, data, personnel, or priorities, partnering with state agencies directly strengthens our ability to identify those stealing taxpayer dollars. When federal prosecutors work alongside state agencies to root out fraud, fraudsters lose, and the American people win.”

Allen said continued collaboration with law enforcement will help Alabama more effectively detect fraud while protecting legitimate businesses and consumers.

“Regular engagement with law enforcement partners makes Alabama stronger, giving us the ability to detect fraud and assist investigators and prosecutors as they work to protect our businesses and consumers,” Allen said.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].