Texas Comptroller Don Huffines launched the Texas Fraud Investigation and Recovery Strike Team, known as Texas FIRST, on Oct. 22, according to a news release from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The agency described the team as a new statewide unit within the Comptroller’s Law Enforcement Operations Division, built to pursue fraud, government corruption and financial crimes that steal from Texas taxpayers.
“Texas FIRST finds those who lie and cheat to steal taxpayer money, recovers what they took, and builds the cases that send the crooks to prison,” Huffines said in the release. “No one is off limits.”
According to the Comptroller’s office, the team will focus on crimes including government corruption, government fraud, sales tax fraud and unclaimed property fraud. The agency said the team identifies, investigates and dismantles schemes that steal taxpayer money or exploit state programs and recovers what was taken. It will work alongside the division’s regional investigators across Texas and partner with local, state and federal law enforcement, the release said.
Huffines also asked the public to help. “I am relying on all Texans to be my eyes and ears on the ground. Help us help you: If you see something, say something,” he said.
The Comptroller’s office described Texas FIRST as the latest step in Huffines’ restructuring of the agency to go after fraud, waste and abuse. Since he took office on Aug. 1, the release said, Huffines has implemented new fraud-detection controls to block illegitimate transactions, launched targeted reviews of major school districts, and shut down the use of state grants for unauthorized surveillance tools. The agency also said it has enforced strict compliance requirements on contractors and grantees, with immediate termination for violations.
The release added that the Comptroller reorganized its criminal investigation division into a statewide financial crimes unit to pursue fraud, corruption and tax evasion, and opened a whistleblower portal where Texans can report fraud, tax evasion, waste and abuse directly to agency investigators.
Additional information about Texas FIRST and the whistleblower portal is available on the Comptroller’s website, the agency said.