Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer Delivers Remarks at the National Elder Justice Law Enforcement Summit

Good morning. Thank you, Andy, for that warm welcome and for your outstanding leadership as the Department of Justice’s National Elder Justice Coordinator. Thanks to the SEC for hosting this Summit, and to our many federal partners for supporting this event. And thank you to the distinguished panelists and participants from whom we will hear and learn over the next two days.

I am delighted to welcome you to the first-ever National Elder Justice Law Enforcement Summit, where representatives from state, local, and federal law enforcement across the country have come together to collaborate on our shared efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and fraud.    

Millions of older Americans suffer some form of elder abuse each year. And while the pandemic brought to light some of the most egregious cases, we know that far too many cases still go unreported.

This is why the Justice Department has aggressively pursued perpetrators of elder fraud and abuse and is committed to supporting victims. Our elder justice efforts are concentrated in four areas: 

First, the cornerstone of our efforts is our investigative and prosecutorial work to hold accountable those individuals and organizations engaged in elder fraud and abuse. From July 2022 through June 2023, we pursued criminal and civil actions against more than 650 defendants who collectively stole over $1.5 billion from more than 2.4 million victims. 

Second, we are committed to supporting victims of elder abuse and financial exploitation and preventing financial losses where possible. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we have recovered and returned millions of dollars annually to older victims and have also connected victims to resources to assist in their financial and emotional recovery.

Third, we are committed to empowering older adults, along with their families and communities, to protect themselves from such schemes. We have held public awareness events across the country aimed at educating older adults on how to spot and report potential scams.

Finally, we are committed to supporting the critical work of our state and local partners. That’s why we’re assembled here today. There’s no doubt that you are on the front lines and usually the first to encounter elder abuse. The Justice Department has collaborated with state and local law enforcement organizations to share best practices, training, and resources, and has awarded grant funding to state, local, and Tribal organizations to support victim services to older adults. We could not be more grateful for your partnership in this work.

This Summit is an opportunity to further enhance this collaboration, while shining an even brighter light on elder fraud and abuse. This Summit was born out of the Department’s yearlong outreach effort to better understand how state and local law enforcement organizations identify and combat elder abuse. Through this outreach, we learned that states vary widely in both the challenges you face and the innovative approaches you have adopted. We also learned of your desire to understand how other states are combating elder abuse. Time and again you asked us, “What are other states doing?” and “How can we learn from our peers?” This Summit is our effort to begin to answer those questions by bringing everyone to the table. 

Remarkably, in the room today we have representatives from every single state and Washington, D.C., and we have hundreds of law enforcement officers participating virtually. Summit participants span the spectrum of Peace Officers Standards and Training (or POST) boards, national law enforcement organizations, as well as sheriffs, local investigators, and Medicaid fraud control units. We also have representatives from across the Department of Justice: the Community Oriented Policing Services (or COPS) Office and the Office for Victims of Crime — both of which helped to organize this event — as well as the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and the FBI. We are also joined by our federal partners, including our hosts, the SEC, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Trade Commission. 

The Department’s elder justice work holds a special place for me personally. As Andy mentioned, during a prior tour at the Department, I had the honor of leading the Civil Division, where I oversaw the Elder Justice Initiative and its launch of 10 elder justice task forces to enhance coordination between federal, state, and local prosecutors and law enforcement to pursue actions against nursing homes that provided grossly substandard care to their residents. I also oversaw the Department’s first coordinated elder fraud sweep to dismantle a global network of mass mailing fraud schemes that targeted older and vulnerable adults. I am very proud that these critical initiatives continue to this day — and in an expanded form. 

While the Justice Department is steadfast in our commitment to pursue elder justice, it’s clear that none of us can do this work alone. You are valued partners in the fight against elder abuse and fraud, and we continue to reap the benefits of working collaboratively with you. 

We are also keenly aware that elder abuse issues manifest differently across different populations, including within Tribal communities, and the Elder Justice Initiative is exploring how we can best collaborate with law enforcement in Tribal communities to combat elder abuse. 

We hope this Summit provides a forum for sharing information and resources, learning from one another, and forging new relationships, so that we can all return to our communities with renewed vigor and commitment to doing better for older adults.

Thank you for sharing your vision, expertise, leadership, and wisdom as we forge forward together in our pursuit of justice for our country’s older adults.