U.S. Department
of Justice
Major Frauds Section
SECTION OVERVIEW
The Major Frauds Section investigates and prosecutes some of the most significant white-collar crime cases in the country. The Section is comprised of experienced federal prosecutors, and is nationally recognized not only for the size and sophistication of the cases it handles, but for the breadth of its caseload.
In the area of corporate and securities fraud, the Major Frauds Section has successfully prosecuted significant cases involving corporate embezzlement, securities and accounting fraud, insider trading, and stock manipulation. The Section also prosecutes a wide range of investor frauds, including international mass marketing frauds, Ponzi schemes, boiler rooms, loan modification schemes, and identity theft rings. The cases brought by the Section frequently involve losses to victims totaling tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars.
In addition to the cases it brings involving frauds against private individuals and entities, the Major Frauds Section handles a broad array of highly significant cases involving fraud against the government. The section dedicates significant resources to attacking health care fraud, including in particular fraud directed at Medicare and Medi-Cal, and has successfully prosecuted major cases involving hospitals, doctors, home health agencies, diagnostic testing facilities, medical clinics, hospice care providers, and durable medical equipment suppliers. The section also handles significant cases involving procurement fraud, government program fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and tax evasion. In addition, the section handles large dollar mortgage lending and foreclosure rescue frauds.
Members of the Major Frauds Section serve as coordinators and members of a number of task forces and working groups, including the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group, the Health Care Fraud Task Force, Operation Canadian Eagle/Project Emptor, the Financial Institution Fraud Task Force, the Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group, and the Identity Theft Task Force.
The Major Frauds Section works closely with investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as well as with Inspectors General from a wide number of government agencies.
SECTION LEADERSHIP
Ranee A. Katzenstein
A 25-year veteran of the office, Assistant United States Attorney Ranee Katzenstein served in several units in the Criminal Division before becoming a Deputy Chief of the Major Frauds Section in 2007, the Office’s Chief of Trials, Integrity and Professionalism in 2016, and Chief of Major Frauds in 2018. Ms. Katzensten has prosecuted narcotics offenses, violent crime cases and the full panoply of financial fraud matters. Ms. Katzenstein has secured convictions against corporate officers and hedge fund managers who used various schemes to defraud investors, a corporate director who engaged in insider trading, bank insiders who took bribes, finance professionals who embezzled millions from their clients and attorneys who assisted in these schemes. During her tenure in the Office, Ms. Katzenstein has been involved in numerous jury trials, including mentoring dozens of young prosecutors in their first trials. She has also worked on nearly 50 appellate matters and has argued over a dozen cases before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ranee graduated with honors from both Wesleyan University and Stanford Law School, and she clerked for 9th Circuit Judge William A. Norris. Before embarking on her legal career, Ms. Katzenstein obtained a doctorate in Art History from Harvard University, was a curator of illuminated manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum, and taught medieval art and architecture at UCLA.
Recent Cases
October 28, 2022
Press Release
Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Charges for Swindling Victims Who Thought They Were Investing in ‘Magic Mike’ Stage Show
October 24, 2022
Press Release
South Bay Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Scam Involving Fake Open Houses at Not-for-Sale Homes
October 18, 2022
Press Release
Former Hollywood Executive Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining $1.7 Million in COVID-Relief Loans
October 17, 2022
Press Release
Romance Scammer Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges, Admitting He Stole Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Nearly 20 Victims
October 14, 2022
Press Release
San Fernando Valley Woman Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Defrauding Health Insurers by Submitting Claims for Botox Injections
SECTION CONTACT INFORMATION
The United States Attorney's Office
Central District of California
Criminal Division
ATTN: Major Frauds Section
312 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012