(LINCOLN, Neb.) — Nebraska State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg on Monday joined Vice President J.D. Vance, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Pate, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and other federal officials in Kansas City, Missouri, to establish a federal-state partnership aimed at detecting and preventing fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs and public resources.
The event brought together officials from Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa to strengthen coordination between state officials and federal law enforcement. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice announced enforcement actions involving hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged losses from schemes involving funds administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
During the event, Spellerberg and Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing a framework for cooperation between the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office and the federal fraud division. The agreement is intended to support fraud prevention and detection, criminal investigations, financial crime analysis, and related law enforcement efforts.
“Protecting taxpayer dollars is priority one at the State Treasurer’s Office,” Spellerberg said. “Fraud does not stop at state lines, and neither should our efforts to prevent it. This partnership gives us another tool to identify suspicious activity sooner, share information, and stop fraudulent payments before taxpayer dollars leave state accounts.”
Under the agreement, the State Treasurer’s Office may provide publicly available state payment transaction information involving checks, wires, and Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments to assist federal fraud-fighting efforts. Information considered confidential under Nebraska law would remain protected.
The MOU recognizes that timely access to accurate information and interagency cooperation can help law enforcement identify fraudulent business activity, detect organized fraud schemes, and protect the public from financial crimes.
The State Treasurer’s Treasury Management Division already plays an active role in protecting state funds. Since 2014, the division has stopped 250 attempts to steal state funds using fraudulent paper checks, protecting more than $383,000 in taxpayer dollars. In 2026 alone, the Treasurer’s Office has blocked 48 fraudulent paper checks totaling $123,164.
