United States and British law enforcement leaders formally launched a joint crackdown on Chinese-linked scam centers during a live signing ceremony Thursday at the Washington residence of Britain’s ambassador.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro appeared at the event with Crown Prosecution Service Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson and National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar. The three officials signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum governing international cooperation against cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud.
“The United Kingdom is one of our oldest allies and partners,” Pirro said in a statement ahead of the signing. “Together we will disable the Chinese TOC networks that are operating these scam compounds and depriving our citizens of their hard-earned funds, all while using human-trafficked labor to increase their profit. Standing together, we are invincible.”
The agreement calls for parallel investigations of common targets, increased information sharing, and coordination over which country should prosecute particular cases. The agencies also plan an in-person disruption operation with private-sector partners, hosted by the National Crime Agency in London in early October.
The Justice Department estimates that scam-center schemes cost the public about $10 billion annually. Reported cryptocurrency investment-fraud losses rose 89% between 2023 and 2025, reaching $8.65 billion, according to FBI data cited by prosecutors.
Officials said the alliance is already moving beyond the diplomatic stage.
U.S. and British investigators have identified significant overlap among their existing cases and will jointly decide which country is best positioned to prosecute shared targets.
Pirro’s office said a planned “early October” gathering in London will bring investigators together with private companies for an in-person “disruption event,” potentially allowing the partners to target both criminal organizations and the digital or financial infrastructure supporting them.
Thursday’s memorandum signing adds to an international campaign pursued by other law enforcement leaders in the Trump administration, such as FBI Director Kash Patel.
In April, international cooperation produced at least 276 arrests and disrupted nine alleged scam centers. That operation involved the FBI and authorities in the United Arab Emirates, China, and Thailand.
More recently, Patel said he had established new law-enforcement partnerships with China and Russia, focused on cyber fraud and other transnational crimes. The cooperation has included personnel exchanges, intelligence sharing, and joint arrests, although the initiative has raised counterintelligence concerns because both countries remain major U.S. adversaries. Patel told Reuters last month the working groups are narrowly focused and subject to security safeguards.
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President Donald Trump signed a March executive order directing federal agencies to disrupt foreign transnational criminal organizations and coordinate enforcement with allies. An August memorandum expanded that effort by involving vetted private companies.
Pirro founded the Scam Center Strike Force in November last year.