Today, the Department of Justice announced a new Antitrust Whistleblower program for antitrust violations that include actions affecting the Postal Service. Years in the making, this Program fills a significant gap in existing whistleblower programs by providing a means for individuals to report price-fixing, bid-rigging, and other antitrust conspiracies. Antitrust violations harm consumers and the public by artificially inflating prices. Providing a path for whistleblowers to report these actions will provide a means to help stop fraudulent corporate actions that harm the public. Whistleblower Partners was proud to work with The Anti-Fraud Coalition and other partners to see this program come to fruition.

“Today’s announcement is a collaborative effort and will positively impact Americans over time with a path to incentivize, protect, and reward antitrust whistleblowers. We have seen firsthand how antitrust whistleblowers have been stymied in their efforts to do the right thing and report violations. It is wonderful to see the Justice Department provide an avenue for reports,” says Hamsa Mahendranathan, partner at Whistleblower Partners LLP.

Whistleblower Partners previously represented the whistleblower who reported the Korean fuel companies bid-rigging case, one of the largest antitrust-related False Claims Act cases to date, and which directly contributed to the creation of the DOJ’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force. The Strike Force serves as a model for this program, which significantly expands the antitrust whistleblower avenues available. It is affirming to see the continuing positive repercussions from our prior work.