The DOJ’s Antitrust Division recently announced a new DOJ antitrust whistleblower program, in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, to offer financial incentives for those who provide information about antitrust crimes. This highly anticipated program will offer rewards to individuals who report federal antitrust violations and related offenses that harm consumers, taxpayers, and free market competition in industries from healthcare to agriculture. “Antitrust crimes and related offenses that harm free market competition often occur in secret, making detection a formidable challenge,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Antitrust Division. “This program raises the stakes: If you’re fixing prices or rigging bids, don’t assume your scheme is safe – we will find and prosecute you, and someone you know may get a reward for helping us do it.”
The DOJ antitrust whistleblower program, overseen by the Antitrust Division’s criminal section, expands the Division’s ongoing efforts to detect and prosecute antitrust crimes and criminal collusion, such as illegal price fixing, bid rigging, market allocating, and other efforts to undermine competitive markets. “Whistleblowers are one of the best – and sometimes only – ways to uncover antitrust violations that transpire behind closed doors,” said Sarah Holloway, a whistleblower attorney at Keller Grover LLP. “We applaud DOJ for creating a program designed to enable and incentivize whistleblowers who are willing to expose these crimes.” Under the program, individuals or their attorneys can report antitrust crimes directly to the Antitrust Division and, in appropriate cases, qualify for monetary rewards of up to 30% of any criminal fines or recoveries exceeding $1 million that are recovered by the government.
Keller Grover has a long history of prosecuting antitrust cases and helping whistleblowers expose wrongdoing. Our experienced whistleblower attorneys can help answer questions, work with you to develop prudent next steps, and help you to submit stronger whistleblower claims. Thorough submissions will have a better chance of success in encouraging government officials to investigate fraud and in obtaining the largest possible whistleblower reward.
If you would like more information, or have a potential case, contact us for a free confidential consultation.