The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General on Thursday unveiled its first-ever Most Wanted list, naming 16 fugitives accused of stealing more than $55 million from American taxpayers through fraud schemes aimed at federal labor and benefit programs. One of the 16, Leslie Kaciban, has already been arrested in Hungary and is awaiting extradition to the United States.
The fugitives are wanted in cases that involve foreign labor visa fraud, unemployment insurance fraud, labor trafficking, identity theft, money laundering, health care fraud and unlawful labor payments. The watchdog said these are crimes that harm American workers and undermine federal programs. Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, who announced the list, said his office is working with the White House Fraud Task Force and will keep pursuing the suspects until they are in custody and the stolen money is accounted for.
The office describes the list as a “force multiplier.” The idea is to draw in the media, online platforms, the public and international partners to help find people who have so far avoided arrest. Anyone with information about a listed fugitive can contact the DOL OIG Hotline at 1-800-347-3756 or report it through the office’s website.
"No more excuses. No more hiding. The hunt is on.
— Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito
The Kaciban case shows how the list is meant to work. According to the inspector general’s office, he was charged in an alleged labor racketeering scheme involving roughly $4 million in illegal kickbacks. He reportedly learned of the indictment while on vacation in Costa Rica, then fled to Hungary, where he was taken into custody.
Of the other 15 fugitives, ten are men and five are women. Some face allegations of theft, forgery or mail fraud, while others are accused of falsifying applications for immigration benefits. Onoriode Ezewu, believed to be in Nigeria, is wanted on 15 counts of concealment money laundering, according to information reported from the agency’s listing.
Scott Brady, executive director of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, said the first 16 names are only a start and that more will be added as investigators find additional suspects.
Who Is Driving the Push
D’Esposito is the ninth Inspector General of the Labor Department. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2023 to 2025 and now oversees nearly $14 billion in annual department funding, including unemployment insurance, worker safety and health, and training programs.
His office joined the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President JD Vance, in March 2026. Since then the inspector general has issued a steady run of enforcement announcements, from prison sentences in pandemic unemployment cases to new investigations into visa programs.
A Wider Enforcement Push Under Scrutiny
The Most Wanted launch follows a busy month for the task force. On Oct. 8, Vance announced findings of alleged abuse in the H-1B and PERM visa programs, and D’Esposito disclosed that subpoenas had been served on nine universities: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, UC Davis, Caltech, Arizona State and MIT. The probe centers on alleged misuse of J-1 exchange visitor visas in federally funded research.
Officials said about 61% of postdoctoral workers and researchers supported by federal grants at those nine schools are foreign nationals, compared with about 38% at other institutions. The announcement described an investigation, not a finding of wrongdoing, and early reporting noted that no charges, program suspensions or visa cancellations had been announced. STAT reported that it was unclear how much evidence backs the administration’s concerns, and the inspector general’s office did not immediately answer questions about the scope or timeline.
Key Facts at a Glance
The unemployment insurance system, which paid out more than $888 billion in benefits during the pandemic, remains a central target for investigators.
✓ 16 fugitives named with more than $55 million in alleged losses
✓ Leslie Kaciban arrested in Hungary, awaiting extradition
✓ Charges range from visa fraud and labor trafficking to money laundering
✓ Tips accepted at the DOL OIG Hotline, 1-800-347-3756
In February, the inspector general’s office said nearly $1 billion in taxpayer money was at risk because of COVID-era unemployment insurance fraud, a figure that has driven much of its recent enforcement work.
What Happens Next
The immediate priority is locating the 15 fugitives still at large and bringing Kaciban before a U.S. court. Because the list is brand new, there is no track record yet showing how many arrests it will produce or how much stolen money it will help recover.
For now, the concrete results are limited and easy to verify: one arrest overseas and a public appeal for tips. Whether the list leads to more captures will become clearer as extradition and court proceedings move forward, and officials have said more names will follow.
Nobody will be getting a free pass.— Anthony D’Esposito, speaking about the J-1 visa investigation on Oct. 8
The Most Wanted list reflects a more public-facing approach to inspector general enforcement. Readers should watch for Kaciban’s extradition, any new additions to the list, and whether the broader visa investigations lead to formal charges.
Sources
- The National News Desk (KRCR): Labor Inspector General launches Most Wanted List of 16 fugitiveskrcrtv.com(opens in a new tab)
- The Epoch Times: Labor Watchdog Launches Most Wanted List of 16 Fugitivestheepochtimes.com(opens in a new tab)
- Prompt News: US declares Nigerian wanted over alleged $1m benefit fraudpromptnewsonline.com(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General: Inspector General biographyoig.dol.gov(opens in a new tab)
- AZFamily: Arizona State among 9 universities targeted in new federal visa fraud investigationazfamily.com(opens in a new tab)
- WPXI: Pitt among 9 universities subpoenaed in federal investigation over alleged visa fraudwpxi.com(opens in a new tab)
- STAT News: Federal investigation of nine universities over visa fraud concernsstatnews.com(opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector Generaloig.dol.gov(opens in a new tab)
