Criminal Division

For more than 100 years, the Criminal Division has developed, enforced, and supervised the application of federal criminal laws not specifically assigned to other components, often in partnership with the 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices.  The Criminal Division  also oversees certain civil litigation. In addition to its direct litigation responsibilities, the Division formulates and implements criminal enforcement policy and provides advice and assistance on criminal matters to the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, federal prosecutors, law enforcement and investigative agencies, and other components of the federal government.  The Division also provides leadership and assistance to our federal, state, and local law enforcement counterparts as well as to our international partners.

The Criminal Division is staffed by career prosecutors, attorneys, and staff, who serve as subject matter experts on their areas of law and criminal enforcement, prosecute criminal matters in federal court, and advance the Department’s priorities in their areas of expertise. The Division is comprised of 16 sections and offices, each of which is critically important to advancing the mission of the Division.   

• The Appellate Section (APP) represents the interests of the Department in the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal on matters related to criminal law and makes recommendations to the Solicitor General.
• The Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecutes crimes involving child exploitation and child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, and child abuse on federal and Indian lands.
• The Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) prevents, investigates, and prosecutes cyber and intellectual property crimes, including cryptocurrency-related crimes, ransomware actors, cyber-enabled fraud, and digital piracy of intellectual property.
• The Fraud Section (FRD) investigates and prosecutes complex cases involving white collar crime, including financial fraud, health care fraud, and foreign corruption, and plays a critical role in the development of the Department’s corporate enforcement program.
• The Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) investigates and prosecutes cases involving human smuggling, human rights violators and international criminals, and certain international violent crimes occurring within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the United States.
• The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) investigates and prosecutes criminal cases involving complex money laundering, financial institutions, and international corruption including matters involving asset forfeiture; provides centralized management for the Department's asset forfeiture program; and initiates, coordinates, and reviews legislative proposals involving asset forfeiture and money laundering enforcement.
• The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) is focused on reducing the supply of illegal drugs in the United States by investigating and prosecuting priority national and international drug trafficking groups and by providing legal, strategic, and policy guidance in support of that goal.
• The Public Integrity Section (PIN) oversees the federal effort to combat corruption through the investigation and prosecution of criminal schemes involving elected and appointed public officials at all levels of government.  PIN is also responsible for the investigation and prosecution of federal election and campaign finance crimes.
• The Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) develops and implements strategies to disrupt and dismantle the most significant regional, national, and international gangs and organized crime groups and to address significant violent crime.

Several sections of the Criminal Division play key roles in promoting consistency in the application of certain federal statutes and investigative techniques by DOJ prosecutors across the country, as well as serving as experts in their area of law.

• The Capital Case Section (CCS) promotes consistency and fairness in the application of the death penalty throughout the United States.
• The Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO) provides investigative and prosecutorial support, legal advice, and statutorily required review in the use of sophisticated and sensitive investigative tools.
• The Office of Policy and Litigation (OPL) develops, reviews, and evaluates national crime, sentencing, and corrections policy and legislation.

The Criminal Division also leads the Department’s outreach and coordination with our foreign law enforcement partners to disrupt criminal schemes and advance U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives.

• The Office of International Affairs (OIA) serves as the Central Authority for obtaining and sharing evidence with international partners around the world and provides advice and assistance on international criminal matters and coordinates the extradition or other legal rendition of international fugitives and all international evidence gathering for the Department as well as state and local prosecutors.
• The Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) seeks to enhance the capacity of foreign justice systems and their law enforcement partners so they can effectively partner with the Department of Justice in combating terrorism, trafficking in persons, organized crime, corruption, and financial crimes.
• The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) works with foreign governments to develop professional and transparent law enforcement institutions that protect human rights, combat corruption, and reduce the threat of transnational crime and terrorism.