US Department of Justice Antitrust Division

Five Amazon Marketplace Sellers and Four Amazon Marketplace Companies Sentenced for Price Fixing* Five individuals and four companies have been sentenced for participating in a conspiracy to fix the prices of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs sold on the Amazon marketplace. This investigation has (...)

Owners of Military Contracting Companies Sentenced for Bid Rigging in Texas* Two military contractors were sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division, for their roles in a bid-rigging scheme involving the maintenance and repair of (...)

Major Generic Drug Companies to Pay Over Quarter of a Billion Dollars to Resolve Price-Fixing Charges and Divest Key Drug at the Center of Their Conspiracy* Sixth and Seventh Companies to Admit to Price-Fixing Charges Affecting Critical Generic Drugs ; First Resolutions to Require Divesting (...)

Vice President of Asphalt Paving Company Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging* First Guilty Plea in Ongoing Investigation of Collusion in Michigan-Area Asphalt Industry A senior executive of a Michigan asphalt paving company pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in Detroit for his role (...)

Two Pinterest Directors Resign from Nextdoor Board of Directors in Response to Justice Department’s Ongoing Enforcement Efforts Against Interlocking Directorates* Antitrust Division Continues to Focus on Competitors Sharing Company Directors in Violation of Section 8 of the Clayton Act The (...)

FTC and DOJ Extend Public Comment Period by 30 Days on Proposed Changes to HSR Form* The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division are extending by 30 days the deadline for the public to submit comments on proposed changes to the premerger notification form and (...)

Justice Department And FTC Seek Comment on Draft Merger Guidelines* Proposed Guidelines Would Address the Many Ways Mergers Can Weaken Competition, Harming Consumers, Workers and Businesses The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are releasing a draft update of the (...)

Justice Department Statements on District Court Ruling Enjoining American Airlines and JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance* Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued the following statements today (...)

Justice Department Files Proposed Amended Complaint and Consent Decree with Fourth Poultry Processor, Further Addressing Long-Running Conspiracy to Suppress Workers’ Compensation* Decree Prohibits the Exchange of Compensation Information, Requires Processor to Pay Restitution, and Subjects (...)

Justice Department Reaches Settlement in Suit to Block ASSA ABLOY’s Proposed Acquisition of Spectrum Brands’ Hardware and Home Improvement Division* The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement in its litigation regarding ASSA ABLOY AB’s (ASSA ABLOY) proposed (...)

Former Public Official and California Contractor Sentenced for Bid Rigging and Bribery* A former Caltrans contract manager and a former contractor were sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento for their roles in a bid-rigging and bribery (...)

Construction Company Owner Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay Nearly $1 Million in Restitution for Rigging Bids and Bribing a Public Official* Case Involved Public Works for the California Department of Transportation A construction company owner in California was (...)

Nine Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit Against Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies* The Attorneys General of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Washington and West Virginia today joined a civil antitrust (...)

Justice Department Files Lawsuit and Proposed Consent Decree to Prohibit Activision Blizzard from Suppressing Esports Player Compensation* Decree Provisions Would Ensure that Activision Blizzard Cannot Impose Any Salary Cap, Luxury Tax, or Other Rule that Limits Compensation for Players in (...)

Four Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit to Block JetBlue’s Acquisition of Spirit Airlines* Today, the Attorneys General of California, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the (...)

Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and European Commission Hold Third U.S.-EU Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue* The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina M. Khan, and Executive Vice (...)

Military Contractors Convicted for $7 Million Procurement Fraud Scheme* A federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted three military contractors today on one count of conspiring to defraud the United States and two counts of major fraud. According to court documents and (...)

Justice Department’s Ongoing Section 8 Enforcement Prevents More Potentially Illegal Interlocking Directorates* Antitrust Division Continues to Focus on Competitors Sharing Company Directors in Violation of Section 8 of the Clayton Act The Justice Department announced today that five more (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block JetBlue’s Proposed Acquisition of Spirit Acquisition Would Allow JetBlue to Eliminate Its Largest Ultra-Low-Cost Rival, Further Concentrate the Airline Industry, and Harm American Travelers The Justice Department, together with Attorneys General of the (...)

Two Additional Municipal Employees Plead Guilty to Fraud Conspiracy* Second and Third Guilty Pleas in Ongoing Investigation of Excess Vehicle Auctions at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Two Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 to (...)

Former Digital Interactive Whiteboards Salesman Pleads Guilty to Rigging Bids to the Largest Public-School System in the United States* A former salesman pleaded guilty today for his leading role in a bid rigging scheme involving the sales of certain brands of digital interactive whiteboards (...)

Insulation Contracting Firm Co-Owner Sentenced to Fifteen Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay more than $1 Million to Victims of Bid Rigging and Fraud* Victims include the University of Connecticut, the City of Hartford, PepsiCo. Inc., Stamford Hospital, and Yale University Michael S. (...)

Two Amazon Marketplace Sellers and Four Companies Plead Guilty to Price Fixing DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs* Two Amazon marketplace sellers and four of their companies have pleaded guilty to price fixing DVDs and Blu Ray Discs. On Feb. 10 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of (...)

Benteler Steel & Tube Manufacturing Corp. Abandons Merger with Tenaris, S.A. After Justice Department Investigation* Proposed Acquisition Would Have Further Entrenched Tenaris’s Dominance in the Sale of Seamless Steel Pipe to Oil & Gas Companies in the United States Tenaris, S.A. (...)

The Withdrawal Best Serves the Interests of Healthcare Competition The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today the withdrawal of three outdated antitrust policy statements related to enforcement in healthcare markets : Department of Justice and FTC Antitrust Enforcement (...)

Justice Department Sues Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies* Through Serial Acquisitions and Anticompetitive Auction Manipulation, Google Subverted Competition in Internet Advertising Technologies Today, the Justice Department, along with the Attorneys General of (...)

Military Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging* A Texas military contractor pleaded guilty on Jan. 12 to rigging bids on public military contracts in the state of Texas. According to court documents, Aaron Stephens, 53, conspired with others to rig bids on certain government contracts (...)

Criminal Charges Unsealed Against 12 Individuals in Wide-Ranging Scheme to Monopolize Transmigrante Industry and Extort Competitors Near U.S.-Mexico Border* Charges Include Use of Violence, Threats and Extortion to Fix Prices, Allocate the Market and Eliminate Competition The U.S. (...)

Two Kentucky Real Estate Professionals Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging Farmland Auction* Two Kentucky real estate professionals pleaded guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids at an estate auction for farmland and timber rights. According to a plea agreement filed today in the (...)

Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force Announces Four New National Law Enforcement Partners as it Enters its Fourth Year* The Justice Department announced today that the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) welcomed four new national law enforcement partners to the (...)

Insulation Contracting Firm Sentenced for Rigging Bids* Third Defendant Sentenced in Investigation in the Insulation Contracting Industry Axion Specialty Contracting LLC (Axion) was sentenced to pay a $1,001,989 criminal fine and $313,121 in restitution on Nov. 4 in Bridgeport, (...)

Justice Department Obtains Permanent Injunction Blocking Penguin Random House’s Proposed Acquisition of Simon & Schuster* Decision Protects Authors and Promotes Diversity and Quality of Top-Selling Books WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in (...)

Executive Pleads Guilty to Criminal Attempted Monopolization* Construction Company President Admits to Violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act The president of a paving and asphalt contractor based in Billings, Montana, has pleaded guilty to attempting to monopolize the market for highway (...)

Health Care Company Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Conspiring to Suppress Wages of School Nurses* Company Admits to Criminal Allocation and Wage-Fixing Conspiracy Targeting Nurses Serving a Nevada School District VDA OC LLC (VDA), a health care staffing company, pleaded guilty and was (...)

Former Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Bribery* Second Guilty Plea in Ongoing Investigation at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) A former construction contractor became the second person to plead guilty for participating in a bid-rigging and bribery scheme (...)

Insulation Contracting Firm and Co-Owner Sentenced for Rigging Bids and Fraud* First Two Defendants Sentenced in Investigation in the Insulation Contracting Industry Thomas F. Langan (Langan), the co-owner of North Haven, Connecticut, insulation contracting firm Langan Insulation LLC (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block ASSA ABLOY’s Proposed Acquisition of Spectrum Brands’ Hardware and Home Improvement Division* Proposed Deal Would Combine Two of the Three Largest Competitors in Residential Door Hardware, Further Concentrating U.S. Markets The U.S. Department of Justice (...)

Former Engineering Executive Sentenced for Rigging Bids and Defrauding North Carolina Department of Transportation* A former executive of Contech Engineered Solutions LLC (Contech) was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment yesterday in New Bern, North Carolina, for his participation in (...)

Two Companies Plead Guilty in Bid Rigging Scheme for Insulation Contracts* These are the Sixth and Seventh Defendants to Plead Guilty in this Investigation BC Flynn Contracting Corp. (BC Flynn) and Axion Specialty Contracting LLC (Axion) pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in (...)

Justice Department Files Lawsuit and Proposed Consent Decrees to End Long-Running Conspiracy to Suppress Worker Pay at Poultry Processing Plants and Address Deceptive Abuses Against Poultry Growers* Decree Provisions Would Stop the Exchange of Compensation Information, Ban President of Data (...)

Military Contractor Pleads Guilty to Rigging Bids for Public Contracts in Texas and Michigan* A Texas military contractor pleaded guilty yesterday to rigging bids on public military contracts in Texas and Michigan. Yesterday, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, (...)

Acquisition Would Eliminate Competition Between the Only Two Competitors for Critical National Security Support Services* Acquisition Would Eliminate Competition Between the Only Two Competitors for Critical National Security Support Services The Department of Justice filed a civil (...)

Commercial Flooring Contractor and Its Former President Plead Guilty to Antitrust Charges* Fourth Corporation and Seventh Individual Charged in an Ongoing Investigation Commercial Carpet Consultants Inc., a Chicago-based commercial flooring contractor, and its former president, Jerry P. (...)

Military Contractor Indicted for $15 Million Bid-Rigging Scheme and Conspiracy to Defraud the United States* A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas returned an indictment charging a military contractor for rigging bids on public military contracts in Texas and Michigan and (...)

Former Health Care Staffing Executive Convicted of Obstructing FTC Investigation into Wage-Fixing Allegations* Today, a Texas man was convicted of obstructing a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation, following an eight-day trial in the Eastern District of Texas. “Lying to federal (...)

Three Florida Men Indicted for Rigging Bids and Defrauding the U.S. Military* Defendants Submitted Sham Bids for More than Five Years A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida returned an indictment, which was unsealed today, charging three Florida men with conspiring to rig (...)

Former Caltrans Contract Manager Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Bribery* First Guilty Plea in Ongoing Investigation at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) A former contract manager for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) pleaded guilty today for his (...)

Shipping Equipment Giants Cargotec and Konecranes Abandon Merger After Justice Department Threatens to Sue* Deal Would Have Eliminated Competition for Shipping Container Handling Equipment and Harmed the Global Supply Chain Cargotec Corporation (Cargotec) confirmed today that it has (...)

Two Individuals and Four Companies Indicted for Price Fixing DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs Sold on the Amazon Marketplace* A federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee, returned an indictment charging two individuals and four companies with participating in a conspiracy to fix prices of DVDs and (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block Verzatec’s Proposed Acquisition of Crane* Acquisition Would Combine the Two Largest Producers of Pebbled FRP Wall Panels, Allowing Verzatec to Eliminate its Rival, Monopolize the Market and Harm American Businesses The Department of Justice filed a civil (...)

Justice Department and FTC Extend Deadline for Public Comment on Ways to Strengthen Enforcement Against Illegal Mergers* Today, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are extending by one month the deadline to submit comments as part of the enforcement agencies’ process (...)

Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to Hold Joint Spring Enforcers Summit* The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will cohost a Spring Enforcers Summit on April 4. Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter and FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, (...)

Departments of Justice and Labor Strengthen Partnership to Protect Workers* The Agencies Will Enhance Enforcement Efforts Through Greater Coordination and Information Sharing, Cross-Agency Training and Outreach The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the Labor Department signed a (...)

Minnesota Concrete Company and its CEO Indicted for Rigging Bids for Public Contracts* Second charge filed for long-running conspiracy that targeted local governments and public schools in Minnesota A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Kamida Inc., a Minnesota-based (...)

Fugitive Executive Pleads Guilty in Parking Heaters Price-Fixing Conspiracy* A German national pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to leading a price-fixing conspiracy from 2007 to 2012 and was sentenced to time served. Volker Hohensee, a German national and onetime Canadian (...)

Justice Department and Federal Maritime Commission Reaffirm and Strengthen Partnership to Promote Fair Competition in the Shipping Industry* The Justice Department and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) today reaffirmed their continuing commitment to jointly enforcing competition laws (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block UnitedHealth Group’s Acquisition of Change Healthcare* Acquisition Would Allow Health Care Giant to Use Competitively Sensitive Claims Data of Hundreds of Millions of Americans to Reduce Competition and Innovation to the Detriment of Health Insurance (...)

Department of Justice Announces Initiative to Protect Americans from Collusive Schemes Amid Supply Chain Disruptions* Initiative Puts Business Community on Notice that the Antitrust Division is Looking Out for Companies that Would Exploit Supply Chain Disruptions to Engage in (...)

Justice Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture Launch Online Tool Allowing Farmers, Ranchers to Report Anticompetitive Practices* Today, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Agriculture (USDA) launched farmerfairness.gov, a new online tool that allows farmers and ranchers to (...)

Former Engineering Executive Convicted of Rigging Bids and Defrauding North Carolina Department of Transportation* A former executive of Contech Engineered Solutions LLC was convicted today in New Bern, North Carolina, for his participation in bid-rigging and fraud schemes targeting the (...)

Three Amazon Marketplace Sellers Plead Guilty to Price Fixing DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs in Ongoing Investigation* A New Jersey man and two New York men pleaded guilty yesterday to fixing the prices of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs sold on the Amazon Marketplace. According to court documents filed in (...)

Justice Department and Agriculture Department Issue Shared Principles and Commitments to Protect Against Unfair and Anticompetitive Practices* Speaking at a White House event focused on competition in agriculture, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (...)

Biglari Holdings Inc. to Pay Civil Penalty for Repeat Violation of Antitrust Pre-Transaction Notification Requirements* The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the (...)

Founder of Werner Enterprises to Pay Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Pre-Transaction Notification Requirements* The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the (...)

Antitrust Division Seeks Additional Public Comments on Bank Merger Competitive Analysis* The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced today that it is seeking additional public comments until Feb. 15, 2022, on whether and how the division should revise the 1995 Bank Merger (...)

Six Aerospace Executives and Managers Indicted for Leading Roles in Labor Market Conspiracy that Limited Workers’ Mobility and Career Prospects* A federal grand jury in Bridgeport, Connecticut, returned an indictment yesterday charging a former manager of a major aerospace engineering (...)

Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Meet with Fellow G7 Enforcement Partners on Competition in Digital Markets* Today, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina M. Khan participated in (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block U.S. Sugar’s Proposed Acquisition of Imperial Sugar* Acquisition Would Eliminate Significant Refined Sugar Producer in the Southeastern United States The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to stop United States Sugar Corporation (...)

Justice Department Requires Substantial Divestitures and Waiver of a Non-Compete for S&P to Proceed with its Merger with IHS Markit* Divestitures Will Preserve Competition Among Commodity Price Reporting Agencies and Waiver of Non-Compete Will Promote Competition for the Sale of Retail (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Lactalis’s Acquisition of Kraft Heinz’s Natural Cheese Business in the United States* Divestitures of Kraft Heinz’s Athenos and Polly-O Businesses Will Preserve Competition in the Sale of Feta and Ricotta Cheese The Department of Justice (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block Penguin Random House’s Acquisition of Rival Publisher Simon & Schuster* Merger Would Create Publishing Behemoth, Harming Authors and Consumers The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block Penguin Random House’s proposed (...)

Former Security Services Executives Plead Guilty to Rigging Bids for Department of Defense Security Contracts* Two former employees of G4S Secure Solutions NV (G4S NV), pleaded guilty today to criminal antitrust charges stemming from their involvement in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices, (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Neenah Enterprises Inc.’s Acquisition of US Foundry* Divestitures Will Preserve Competition for Essential Construction Products Sold to Towns and Municipalities The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Neenah Enterprises (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block Unprecedented Domestic Alliance Between American Airlines and JetBlue* Alliance Eliminates Competition in New York and Boston and Harms Air Travelers Nationwide The U.S. Department of Justice, together with Attorneys General in six states and the District (...)

Justice Department Issues Statement on the Vertical Merger Guidelines* Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard A. Powers of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued the following statement today after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to withdraw from the 2020 Vertical (...)

Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Issue Joint Statement to Preserve Competition in Post-Hurricane Relief Efforts* The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today issued a joint statement detailing antitrust guidance for businesses (...)

Commercial Flooring Executive Indicted on Money Laundering Charge as Part of a Long-Running Bid Rigging Investigation* A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois returned a one-count indictment charging Michael Zmijewski for his role in a money laundering conspiracy involving (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures in BancorpSouth Bank’s Merger with Cadence Bank* Divestiture of Seven Mississippi Branches will Protect Consumers in Rural Communities and Small Towns The Department of Justice announced today that BancorpSouth Bank and Cadence Bank have agreed to (...)

Justice Department Files Second Civil Contempt Claim Against CenturyLink* CenturyLink Agrees to Pay $275,000 to Settle Violation of Amended Final Judgment CenturyLink Inc., now known as Lumen Technologies Inc., has agreed to pay $275,000 to resolve a civil contempt claim by the Department (...)

Capital One CEO to Pay Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Pre-Transaction Notification Requirements* The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in U.S. District Court for the District of (...)

Commercial Flooring Company Pleads Guilty to Antitrust and Money Laundering Charges* Mr. David’s Flooring International LLC (Mr. David’s), a Chicago-based commercial flooring contractor, pleaded guilty after being charged for its role in a long-running conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices (...)

Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Rigging Bids at Foreclosure Auctions* A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to rigging bids at public foreclosure auctions. According to court documents filed in Sacramento, Yama Marifat was indicted for conspiring with other real estate investors (...)

Antitrust Division Observes National Whistleblower Appreciation Day* The Antitrust Division today commemorates National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, which celebrates individuals who act with courage to speak out and report crimes, including antitrust violations like price-fixing, bid (...)

Four Executives and Company Charged with Price Fixing in Ongoing Investigation into Broiler Chicken Industry* A federal grand jury in Denver, Colorado, returned an indictment yesterday charging Koch Foods, headquartered in Park Ridge, Illinois, for participating in a nationwide conspiracy to (...)

Justice Department Requires Substantial Divestitures in Gray’s Acquisition of Quincy to Protect American Consumers and Small Businesses* Gray and Quincy Must Divest 10 Broadcast Television Stations in Seven Local Markets The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Gray (...)

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s Statement on Aon and Willis Towers Watson Decision to Terminate Merger Agreement* Decision Follows DOJ Lawsuit to Prevent Harmful Consolidation and Preserve Competition Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today released the following statement on Aon (...)

Amazon Marketplace Seller Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing DVDs and Blu-ray Discs* A Tennessee man pleaded guilty today to fixing the prices of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs sold on Amazon Marketplace. According to court documents filed in Knoxville, David Camp was charged with conspiring with (...)

DaVita Inc. and Former CEO Indicted in Ongoing Investigation of Labor Market Collusion in Health Care Industry* A federal grand jury in Denver returned a two-count indictment charging DaVita Inc. and its former CEO, Kent Thiry, for conspiring with competing employers not to solicit certain (...)

Major International Automotive-Parts Suppliers Restructure Deal to Resolve Antitrust Concerns* Auto parts supplier Tupy agreed to restructure its acquisition of Teksid after the Department of Justice raised concerns that the merger would result in higher prices and reduced quality and (...)

Belgian Security Services Firm Agrees to Plead Guilty to Criminal Antitrust Conspiracy Affecting Department of Defense Procurement* Company to Pay $15 Million Criminal Fine G4S Secure Solutions NV (G4S), a Belgian security firm, has agreed to plead guilty for its role in a conspiracy to (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block Aon’s Acquisition of Willis Towers Watson* Acquisition Would Create Broking Behemoth and Eliminate Competition Between Two of the “Big Three” Insurance Brokers The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block Aon’s $30 billion (...)

Engineering Firm Pleads Guilty to Decade-Long Bid Rigging and Fraud Scheme* Company Sentenced to Pay $7 Million in Criminal Fine and Over $1.5 Million in Restitution to North Carolina Department of Transportation A North Carolina engineering firm was sentenced today after pleading guilty (...)

Justice Department Requires Substantial Divestitures in Zen-Noh Acquisition of Grain Elevators from Bunge to Protect American Farmers* Zen-Noh Must Divest Nine Grain Elevators so that Farmers Along the Mississippi River and Its Tributaries Continue to Have the Same Number of Options to Sell (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Huntington Bancshares Incorporated’s Acquisition of TCF Financial Corporation* Thirteen Branches in Michigan will be Divested — Ensuring Bank Customers Have Access to Competitively Priced Products and Services The Department of Justice announced (...)

Two Kentucky Real Estate Professionals Indicted for Rigging Farmland Auction* A federal grand jury in the Western District of Kentucky returned an indictment charging two Kentucky real estate professionals with conspiring to rig bids at an estate auction for farmland and timber rights. (...)

Broiler Chicken Producer Indicted for Price Fixing and Bid Rigging* A federal grand jury in Denver, Colorado, returned an indictment charging Norman W. Fries Inc., dba Claxton Poultry Farms (Claxton), headquartered in Claxton, Georgia, with participating in a nationwide conspiracy to fix (...)

Second Individual Charged with Fixing Wages for Health Care Workers and Obstructing FTC Investigation* A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas returned a superseding indictment charging two Texas men with conspiring to fix prices by lowering rates paid to certain health care (...)

Bidder Pleads Guilty to Riggings Bids at Online Auctions for Surplus Government Equipment* A Missouri man pleaded guilty today to rigging online bids submitted to the General Services Administration (GSA). According to court documents, Alan Gaines pleaded guilty to the one-count indictment (...)

Justice Department Requires Republic Services to Divest Assets to Proceed with Santek Acquisition* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition in Markets for Small Container Commercial Waste Collection and Municipal Solid Waste Disposal in Six Local Markets in Five States The Department of (...)

Health Care Staffing Company and Executive Indicted for Colluding to Suppress Wages of School Nurses* Alleged allocation and wage-fixing scheme targeted nurses staffed at the Clark County School District who were serving medically fragile students. A federal grand jury in Las Vegas, (...)

Justice Department Resolves Antitrust Case Against Leading Central Pennsylvania Health Care Providers* Settlement Protects Hospital Competition in this Region The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Geisinger Health (Geisinger) and Evangelical (...)

One of the Nation’s Largest Chicken Producers Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing and is Sentenced to a $107 Million Criminal Fine First Corporation Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Criminal Antitrust Investigation into the Broiler Chicken Industry Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (Pilgrim’s), a major (...)

Foreign-Language Training Companies Admit to Participating in Conspiracy to Defraud the United States* Two providers of foreign-language services, Comprehensive Language Center Inc. (CLCI), based in the Washington, D.C., area, and Berlitz Languages Inc. (Berlitz), based in New Jersey, were (...)

Visa and Plaid Abandon Merger After Antitrust Division’s Suit to Block* Decision to Terminate Deal Preserves Competition The Department of Justice announced today that Visa Inc. and Plaid Inc. have abandoned their planned $5.3 billion merger. The department filed a civil antitrust (...)

Health Care Company Indicted for Labor Market Collusion* A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Surgical Care Affiliates LLC and its related entity (collectively SCA), which own and operate outpatient medical care centers across the country, for agreeing with (...)

Ready-Mix Concrete Company Admits to Fixing Prices and Rigging Bids in Violation of Antitrust Laws* Argos USA LLC, a producer and seller of ready-mix concrete headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets (...)

Three Additional States Ask Court To Join Justice Department Antitrust Suit Against Google* Today, the Attorneys General of Michigan and Wisconsin filed for permission to join the antitrust lawsuit filed by the United States and eleven other state Attorneys General against monopolist Google. (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestiture of Tufts Health Freedom Plan in Order for Harvard Pilgrim and Health Plan Holdings to Proceed With Merger* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition for Commercial Health Insurance in New Hampshire The Department of Justice announced today that it would (...)

Former Owner of Health Care Staffing Company Indicted for Wage Fixing* Antitrust Division Remains Committed to Prosecuting Collusion in Labor Markets A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Neeraj Jindal, the former owner of a therapist staffing company, for participating in (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestiture of Credit Karma Tax for Intuit to Proceed with Acquisition of Credit Karma* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition for Digital Do-It-Yourself Tax Preparation Products The Department of Justice announced today that it is requiring Intuit Inc. and (...)

Justice Department Files Antitrust Case and Simultaneous Settlement Requiring National Association of Realtors® To Repeal and Modify Certain Anticompetitive Rules* Settlement Will Increase Competition to the Benefit of American Homeowners and Homebuyers and Allow for Innovation in Brokerage (...)

Justice Department Signs Antitrust Memorandum of Understanding with Korean Prosecution Service* Yesterday, the Department of Justice signed an antitrust Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korean Prosecution Service (KPS). The MOU is designed to promote increased cooperation and (...)

President of Commercial Flooring Company Pleads Guilty to Rigging Bids in Violation of Federal Antitrust Laws* Delmar E. Church Jr., the president and one of the principal owners of a Chicago-area commercial flooring company, pleaded guilty for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids and fix (...)

Justice Department Issues Guidance On The Use Of Arbitration And Launches Small Business Help Center* The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice announced the publication of two new resources on its website today. First, the division issued updated and supplemental guidance on the (...)

Justice Department Sues to Block Visa’s Proposed Acquisition of Plaid* Acquisition Would Eliminate Nascent Competitor Plaid and Prevent Disruption of Visa’s Monopoly in Online Debit Today, the Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to stop Visa Inc.’s $5.3 billion (...)

Justice Department Files Enforcement Action Against Bain & Company As Part of Its Investigation Into Visa Inc’s Proposed Acquisition of Plaid Inc* Petition against Third Party Seeks to Enforce Compliance with the Department’s Civil Investigative Demand Today, the Department of Justice (...)

Justice Department Requires Waste Management To Divest Assets In Order To Proceed With Advanced Disposal Services Acquisition* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition in Markets for Small Container Commercial Waste Collection and Municipal Solid Waste Disposal in Over 50 Local Markets in 10 (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestiture In Order For Liberty Latin America To Acquire AT&T’s Telecommunications Operations In Puerto Rico And The U.S. Virgin Islands* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition for Fiber-Based Telecommunications Services for Enterprise Customers in Puerto Rico (...)

Engineering Firm And Its Former Executive Indicted On Antitrust And Fraud Charges* North Carolina Department of Transportation Targeted in Decade-Long Scheme A federal grand jury in Raleigh, North Carolina returned an indictment charging Contech Engineered Solutions LLC and Brent (...)

Justice Department Sues Monopolist Google For Violating Antitrust Laws* Department Files Complaint Against Google to Restore Competition in Search and Search Advertising Markets Today, the Department of Justice — along with eleven state Attorneys General — filed a civil antitrust lawsuit (...)

Six Additional Individuals Indicted On Antitrust Charges In Ongoing Broiler Chicken Investigation* A federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado, returned a superseding indictment charging six additional defendants for their roles in a previously indicted conspiracy to (...)

Department Of Justice Applauds President Trump’s Authorization Of The Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement And Reform Permanent Extension Act* On October 1, President Donald J. Trump signed into law a continuing resolution that contains the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform (...)

Justice Department Issues Favorable Business Review Letter To ISDA For Proposed Amendments To Address Interest Rate Benchmarks* The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced today that it has completed its review of the proposal by the International Swaps and Derivatives (...)

Former Cancer Center President Indicted For Participation In Long-Running Antitrust Conspiracy* A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Dr. William Harwin, founder and former President of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC (FCS), for conspiring to allocate (...)

Antitrust Division Supports Modernizing Merger Filing Exemptions For Certain Investments* The Time Has Come to Update the Merger Filing Rules On Monday, September 21, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim concurred in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Federal Register publication of (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestiture In Order For Anheuser-Busch To Acquire Craft Brew Alliance* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition in the Beer Industry in the State of Hawaii The Department of Justice announced today that it is requiring Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI), its (...)

Former Foreign Exchange Trader Sentenced To Prison For Price Fixing And Bid Rigging* Akshay Aiyer, a former currency trader at a major multinational bank, was sentenced to serve eight months in jail and ordered to pay a $150,000 criminal fine for his participation in an antitrust conspiracy (...)

Justice Department Updates 2015 Business Review Letter To The Institute Of Electrical And Electronics Engineers* The Justice Department today issued a supplement to its Feb. 2, 2015 Business Review Letter from the Antitrust Division to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, (...)

Antitrust Division Announces Updates To Civil Investigative Demand Forms And Deposition Process* Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today that the Antitrust Division has implemented two uniform updates to its Civil Investigative (...)

Justice Department Issues Modernized Merger Remedies Manual* Merger Remedies Manual Reaffirms Antitrust Division’s Commitment to Effective Structural Relief and Reflects Renewed Focus on Enforcing Consent Decree Obligations The Department of Justice issued today the Merger Remedies Manual, (...)

Ready-Mix Concrete Company And Individuals Indicted For Fixing Prices And Rigging Bids In Violation Of Antitrust Laws* A federal grand jury returned an indictment against one company and four individuals for their roles in a long-running conspiracy to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate (...)

Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim Signs Antitrust Cooperation Framework With Australia, Canada, New Zealand, And United Kingdom* Multilateral Mutual Assistance and Cooperation Framework aims to boost international cooperation efforts Today, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim (...)

Antitrust Division Seeks Public Comments On Updating Bank Merger Review Analysis* The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced today that it is seeking public comments into whether the division should revise the 1995 Bank Merger Competitive Review guidelines (“Banking (...)

Commercial Flooring Contractor Agrees To Plead Guilty To Bid Rigging* Vortex Commercial Flooring Inc., a Chicago-area commercial flooring contractor, has been charged for its role in a long-running antitrust conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices for commercial flooring services and products (...)

Seventh Generic Drug Manufacturer Is Charged In Ongoing Criminal Antitrust Investigation* Consumers Were Allegedly Overcharged at Least $350 Million Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. (Teva) has been charged with conspiring to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate customers for generic drugs, the (...)

Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim Announces Re-Organization of the Antitrust Division’s Civil Enforcement Program* Changes Will Allow for More Vigilant Enforcement, Deeper Expertise in Technology Trends The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced today that it is (...)

Justice Department Brings Enforcement Action Against Centurylink* In Significant Action, CenturyLink Agrees to Extend Term, Appoint Independent Monitor, and Reimburse Taxpayers for the Costs and Fees of the Violations The Department of Justice announced today that CenturyLink, Inc. has (...)

Federal Court Terminates Paramount Consent Decrees* A federal court in the Southern District of New York today terminated the Paramount Consent Decrees, which for over seventy years have regulated how certain movie studios distribute films to movie theatres. The review and termination of (...)

Justice Department Sues To Block Geisinger Health’s Transaction With Evangelical Community Hospital* Transaction Reduces Hospital Competition in Central Pennsylvania The U.S. Department of Justice sued today to block Geisinger Health’s partial acquisition of its close rival, Evangelical (...)

Statement of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on the Closing of Its Investigation of London Stock Exchange Group and Refinitiv* Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice issued the following statement today in connection (...)

Department Of Justice Issues Business Review Letter To Monoclonal Antibody Manufacturers To Expedite And Increase The Production Of Covid-19 Mab Treatments* The United States Department of Justice announced today that it will not challenge proposed efforts by Eli Lilly and Company, (...)

Sixth Pharmaceutical Company Charged In Ongoing Criminal Antitrust Investigation* Fifth Company to Admit It Fixed Prices of Generic Drugs Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. (Taro U.S.A.) has been charged for conspiring to fix prices, allocate customers, and rig bids for generic drugs, the (...)

Antitrust Division Applauds New International Leniency Guidelines* New guidelines will increase effectiveness of international cartel enforcement through better cooperation The Antitrust Division helped lead the International Competition Network (ICN) initiative on cross-border leniency (...)

Louisiana Company Charged With Conspiracy To Defraud The Government And Violate The Procurement Integrity Act* United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser and Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, announced that CAJAN WELDING & (...)

Justice Department Congratulates T-Mobile And Dish For Closing The Boost Divestiture* T-Mobile US Inc. (T-Mobile) and Dish Network Corporation (Dish) announced today that they closed T-Mobile’s divestiture of Boost Network (Boost) to Dish. Boost was legacy Sprint Corporation’s prepaid (...)

Department of Justice And Federal Trade Commission Issue New Vertical Merger Guidelines* 2020 Guidelines More Accurately Represent Agencies’ Merger Review Process The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission issued today new Vertical Merger Guidelines that outline how the (...)

Fifth Pharmaceutical Company Charged In Ongoing Criminal Antitrust Investigation* Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA was charged for conspiring to fix prices for generic drugs, the Department of Justice announced today. The charge, filed today in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, (...)

Department of Justice Applauds Congressional Passage Of Reauthorization Of The Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement And Reform Act* On June 25, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed identical bills, H.R. 7036 and S. 3377, to repeal the sunset provision of the Antitrust (...)

Justice Department’s Antitrust Division And The Securities And Exchange Commission Sign Historic Memorandum Of Understanding* The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Securities and Exchange Commission have signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) to foster (...)

Former Bumble Bee CEO Sentenced To Prison For Fixing Prices Of Canned Tuna* Christopher Lischewski, former Chief Executive Officer and President of Bumble Bee Foods LLC, was sentenced to serve 40 months in jail and pay a $100,000 criminal fine for his leadership role in a three-year (...)

Senior Executives at Major Chicken Producers Indicted on Antitrust Charges* First Charges Filed in Ongoing Investigation into Fixing Prices of Broiler Chickens A federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado, returned an indictment against four executives for their role (...)

Department of Justice Supports National Pork Producers Council’s Ability to Combat Meat Shortage* The Department of Justice (Department) issued a letter to today to the National Pork Producers Council, the nation’s leading association of hog farmers, to address its proposed responses to (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestiture Following Historic Arbitration Win* Divestiture Will Preserve Competition for Aluminum Automotive Body Sheet in North America The Department of Justice announced today that it has filed a proposed final judgment with the U.S. District Court for the (...)

Generic Pharmaceutical Company Admits to Fixing Price of Widely Used Cholesterol Medication* Apotex Corp. Agrees to Pay a $24.1 Million Criminal Penalty Apotex Corp., a generic pharmaceutical company headquartered in Florida, was charged with fixing the price of the generic drug (...)

Cengage and McGraw-Hill Terminate Merger Agreement in Response to Antitrust Concerns* Cengage Learning Holdings II Inc. and McGraw-Hill Education Inc. mutually agreed to abandon their plans to merge after the Department of Justice informed the companies it had serious concerns that the (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures as Dean Foods Sells Fluid Milk Processing Plants to DFA out of Bankruptcy* Department Also Closes Investigation into Acquisition of Other Dean Plants by Prairie Farms The Department of Justice announced today the conclusion of its investigation into (...)

Statement from Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim on Sabre and Farelogix Decision to Abandon Merger* Sabre Corporation and Farelogix, Inc. announced today the termination of their merger agreement. The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit on Aug. 20, 2019, to block (...)

Leading Cancer Treatment Center Admits to Antitrust Crime and Agrees to Pay $100 Million Criminal Penalty* Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC (FCS), an oncology group headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, was charged with conspiring to allocate medical and radiation (...)

Justice Department Issues Business Review Letter to AmerisourceBergen Supporting Distribution of Critical Medicines Under Expedited Procedure for COVID-19 Pandemic Response* The Department of Justice announced today that it will not challenge collaborative efforts of AmerisourceBergen (...)

Justice Department Issues Business Review Letter to the Association of Independent Commercial Producers* The Department of Justice announced today that it will not challenge a proposal by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) to operate an online platform for advertisers (...)

DOJ Agrees to Civil Settlement with Additional Firm Involved in Bid Rigging and Fraud Targeting Defense Department Fuel Supply Contracts for U.S. Military Bases in South Korea* South Korea-based company Jier Shin Korea Co. Ltd., and its president, Sang Joo Lee, have agreed to pay $2 million (...)

Department of Justice Issues Business Review Letter to Medical Supplies Distributors Supporting Project Airbridge Under Expedited Procedure for COVID-19 Pandemic Response* The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it will not challenge collaborative efforts of McKesson Corporation, (...)

Court Enters Final Judgment in T-Mobile/Sprint Transaction : Order Allows Divestitures to Proceed* Today, a federal district court in Washington, D.C., concluded that the Antitrust Division’s resolution of its challenge to the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint was in the public interest and (...)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Merger Between UTC and Raytheon to Address Vertical and Horizontal Antitrust Concerns* Divestitures Will Preserve Competition in the United States for Military Airborne Radios, Military GPS Systems, and Reconnaissance Satellite Components The (...)

Justice Department Announces Antitrust Civil Process Changes for Pendency of COVID-19 Event* Process Changes Will Ensure that the Department Can Carry Out Its Enforcement Mission While Protecting the Health and Safety of Its Employees and the American Public The Department of Justice (...)

Justice Department Cautions Business Community Against Violating Antitrust Laws in the Manufacturing, Distribution, and Sale of Public Health Products* The Department of Justice today announced its intention to hold accountable anyone who violates the antitrust laws of the United States in (...)

Two Commercial Flooring Executives Plead Guilty to Rigging Bids in Violation of Federal Antitrust Laws* Two commercial flooring executives, Robert A. Patrey Jr. and Kenneth R. Smith, pleaded guilty for their role in an antitrust conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices for commercial flooring (...)

Justice Department Wins Historic Arbitration of a Merger Dispute* Novelis Inc. Must Divest Assets to Consummate Transaction with Aleris Corporation The Department of Justice prevailed in a first-of-a-kind arbitration, which will resolve a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging Novelis’s (...)

Extradited Former Automotive Parts Executive Pleads Guilty to Antitrust Charge* Fugitive for Nearly Five Years, Extradited to the United States and Pleads Guilty to Antitrust Conspiracy Eun Soo Kim, a former key accounts manager for Continental Automotive Korea Ltd. and a Korean national, (...)

Major Generic Pharmaceutical Company Admits to Antitrust Crimes : Sandoz Inc. Agrees to Pay a $195 Million Criminal Penalty, the Largest for a Domestic Antitrust Case* Sandoz Inc., a generic pharmaceutical company headquartered in New Jersey, was charged for conspiring to allocate customers, (...)