Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Trip to San Francisco and Seattle

Deputy Attorney General (AG) Lisa Monaco traveled to San Francisco and Seattle this week to highlight the Justice Department's efforts to uphold the rule of law through its corporate criminal enforcement program and the development of guardrails to prevent misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).

In her keynote remarks at the American Bar Association's 39th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, the Deputy AG outlined the Justice Department's approach to corporate criminal enforcement: holding individuals accountable; targeting resources to combat the most serious white-collar criminal conduct; and pursuing tough penalties for repeat corporate offenders. She highlighted the Justice Department's "carrots and sticks" approach of encouraging companies and individuals to self-report corporate crimes and other financial misconduct and imposing the most significant penalties on those most culpable.

To reinforce these efforts, the Deputy AG announced a new Justice Department whistleblower rewards program, which will offer rewards to individuals who discover and report financial and corporate misconduct not otherwise known to the government - akin to the successful whistleblower programs operated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Department's program's launch will follow a 90-day pilot development period and will complement the Department's existing voluntary self-disclosure programs that operate with the same principle: individuals and companies who want to qualify for reporting benefits have to be the first in the door. In her announcement, the Deputy AG said, "Our message to whistleblowers is clear: the Department of Justice wants to hear from you. And to those considering a voluntary self-disclosure, our message is equally clear: knock on our door before we knock on yours."

The Deputy AG also warned of AI's potential to supercharge corporate crime, stressing that federal prosecutors will seek stronger sentences when AI is abused to render a corporate crime significantly more serious. She also announced that going forward, in all corporate cases, federal prosecutors will assess companies' ability to manage AI-related risks as part of their overall compliance efforts.

In keeping with the Department's focus on AI, the Deputy AG convened the first roundtable discussion of the "Justice AI Initiative," which she launched last month at the University of Oxford. Justice AI brings together stakeholders across industry, academia, law enforcement, and civil society to share expertise on both the promise of AI and the perils of its misuse. Together with industry leaders, the Deputy AG discussed how AI will impact the Department's mission to uphold the rule of law, keep the nation safe, and protect civil rights.

The Deputy AG concluded her trip in Seattle, where she visited the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington. In meetings with U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington, her leadership team, and the prosecutors and professional staff of the office, she thanked them for their hard work to combat increasingly complex and dangerous threats, such as swatting incidents, cybercrime, and nation state actors seeking to steal our best technology. She also sat down with federal law enforcement partners and leadership of the Swinomish Tribe to discuss their collaboration around violent crime and public safety challenges, including deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.