GAO Report Finds FinCEN Can Provide Better Support to Law Enforcement

On April 28, 2010, Eileen R. Larence, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), testified that, while the majority of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) found FinCEN’s support useful in their efforts to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, FinCEN could strengthen its support by better informing LEAs about its services and products and actively soliciting their input. The context of the testimony is that financial investigations are used to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, crimes that can destabilize national economies and threaten global security. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), within the Department of the Treasury, supports law enforcement agencies in their efforts to investigate financial crimes by providing them with services and products, such as access to financial data, analysis, and case support...(more)...