1031

Responsibilities of Investigative Agencies

The statute gives authority to the United States Secret Service (USSS), in addition to any other agency having jurisdiction, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the United States Postal Inspection Service, to investigate offenses under this section. The USSS and the FBI have established guidelines to delineate their investigative authority where both agencies have jurisdiction. In general, the FBI will conduct investigations of cases that fall primarily within its traditional jurisdiction, e.g., bank fraud, embezzlement, bribery of bank officers and employees, as well as matters pertaining to organized crime, terrorism, and foreign counterintelligence. The USSS will investigate violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1029 in cases not involving bank fraud, such as use, trafficking, and production of counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, including credit cards and other access devices of major credit card companies, telephone companies, department stores, etc.