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NY State Attorney General (AG) Defense Lawyers
Criminal Division: New York Attorney General Investigations
The Criminal Division in New York is made up of the Criminal Enforcement Agency, the Financial Crimes Bureau, the Organized Crime Task Force, the Public Integrity Bureau, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The New York Attorney General has the authority to conduct investigations on these suspected of violating certain laws. An Attorney General has the power to prosecute based on his or her jurisdiction that can be found in Executive Law 63.
According to this law, any division or department of the State of New York has the authority to request the New York State Attorney General of New York conduct an investigation or prosecute the commission of any crime that violates the agency. A few agencies in the State of New York include the New York State Department of Education, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Police, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
In addition, the Financial Crimes Bureau and the criminal Enforcement Agency have many subunits, which include the Crime Proceeds Strike Force, the Environmental Crimes Unit, and the Auto Insurance Fraud Unit (AIFU).
The Auto Insurance Fraud Unit was founded in response to an executive order that was signed in 2001. This order elected the Attorney General to serve as Special Prosecutor with the authority to investigate and prosecute any criminal offense that relates to motor vehicle insurance claim fraud. This agency consists mostly of attorneys, investigators, and analysts. Because the AIFU is part of the Financial Crimes Bureau and the criminal Enforcement Agency, those subject to an investigation under this agency should expect in-depth, long-term investigations.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is known as MFCU. It is the largest unit in the New York Attorney General’s criminal Division. This is the unit that investigates, penalizes, and prosecutes those who are responsible for fraudulent actions against Medicaid. It is also important to note that the MFCU division is the only law enforcement agency in New York that has the authority to mandate an investigation against those accused of negligence against patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities.
The MFCU typically takes a team approach to investigations to help identify and investigate hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, nurses, dentists, and other healthcare facilities of Medicaid providers. From the moment the investigation begins, investigators, attorneys, analysts, and auditors all work tougher to ensure those in violation of Medicaid fraud are held accountable under the law. The MFCU uses the New York State Attorney General’s dual authority to prosecute and seek affirmative action in these situations.
The Organized Crime Task Force is known as the OCTF and is a division of the New York State Department of the Law. This agency deals in the investigation and prosecution of organized crime that takes place in multiple counties or multiple states. The agency identifies any organized crime enterprises, and it uses civil and criminal enforcement to disassemble the presence of organized crime in the State of New York.
It is important to note that OCTF has offices that are located throughout the State of New York, and it is headquartered in White Plains. In most cases, there will be a long-term investigation into offenses that may include trafficking narcotics, money laundering, grand larceny, fraud, corruption, and bookmaking.
The Public Integrity Bureau is known as the PIB and investigates government agencies to ensure the interest of the public is protected. The PIB has the authority to investigate and take action to ensure that the honesty and integrity of government officials is upheld. In more specific terms, the PIB has the capability to conduct complex investigations into matters that deal with corruption in the government at a state and local level. The PIB is a subunit of the criminal Division, so it can present civil and criminal cases to the New York State Attorney General.
In New York, the Attorney General has designated public integrity officials in every region in the state, which gives New York residents the opportunity to file complains about government corruption in their area. If you need a help during a criminal or civil investigation, it is vital to contact an attorney as soon as possible.