DOJ Fraud Division Issues Directive 26-12 on Corporate Fraud Enforcement
Directive 26-12, issued October 1, 2026 by DOJ National Fraud Enforcement Division chief Colin McDonald, sets out new measures for the division's criminal corporate enforcement program.
On October 1, 2026, Colin McDonald, Chief of the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division, issued Directive 26-12, stating new measures to enhance the Fraud Division's criminal corporate enforcement initiatives. The available reporting — a single King & Spalding alert — establishes the directive's issuance and subject matter but does not set out its specific provisions, so the operational details should be confirmed against the directive text before being relied on.
Even so, a directive from the office that leads DOJ's corporate criminal enforcement is the kind of signal white-collar defense counsel and corporate clients track closely. Division-level directives typically shape how prosecutors screen matters, whether charging strategy is built around cooperation credit, remediation and disclosure, and how aggressively existing investigations are pursued. Direction of travel matters well before a grand jury subpoena, civil investigative demand or search warrant arrives.
Concrete next steps: obtain and read Directive 26-12 itself; assess how it affects open and contemplated internal investigations, preservation and disclosure posture, and voluntary self-disclosure decisions; and monitor subsequent DOJ announcements and charging decisions to see the stated policy expressed in practice.