U.S. Department of Treasury/Financial Crimes Enforcement Network FY 2016
THE REPORT LANGUAGE NEED
The Committee recognizes that human trafficking and forced labor are frequently conducted by transnational criminal organizations and therefore directs The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to work with federal and state law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking and forced labor and provide appropriate assistance to these agencies in their human trafficking investigations.
Summary of Program
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (herein, FinCEN) is a bureau of the Department of Treasury tasked with “facilitating the detection and deterrence of financial crime.” To fulfill this mandate, Congress has given FinCEN certain responsibilities for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data in support of government and financial industry partners at the Federal, State, local, and international levels. These efforts include supporting local law enforcement in their investigations and prosecutions.
Need
Human trafficking and forced labor have grown into a $150 billion a year industry by some estimates. Increasingly, human trafficking is associated with other forms of transnational crime, most notably the international drug trade. Trafficking victims have become “another commodity in a larger realm of criminal commerce.” To benefit the criminal, the illegal proceedings of trafficking in persons must be laundered into legitimate funds. “Following the money” can lead to increased frequency of detection and prosecution of human trafficking.
Solution
The lucrative nature of this illicit industry has attracted the attention of other crime rings, most notably the illegal drug trade. Debilitating the financial networks of this industry will significantly assist law enforcement in cracking down on the trafficking trade. We are requesting report language to highlight this crime and bring it to the attention of the U.S. Department of Treasury and, most notably, its bureau of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Proposed Report Language
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
Salaries and Expenses
The Committee recognizes that human trafficking and forced labor are frequently conducted by trans-national criminal organizations and therefore directs FinCEN to work with federal and state law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking and forced labor and provide appropriate assistance to these agencies in their human trafficking investigations.