The Justice Department's Antitrust Division has announced a new Whistleblower Rewards Program in collaboration with the United States Postal Service. This initiative aims to encourage individuals to report antitrust crimes and related offenses that harm consumers, taxpayers, and free market competition across various industries.
Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Antitrust Division stated, "Antitrust crimes and related offenses that harm free market competition often occur in secret, making detection a formidable challenge. The new Whistleblower Rewards Program will create a new pipeline of leads from individuals with firsthand knowledge of criminal antitrust and related offenses that will help us break down those walls of secrecy and hold violators accountable."
Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity within the Postal Service. He said, "This reporting mechanism gives those with a vested interest in maintaining the integrity of the Postal Service the opportunity to join us in the fight."
Robert Kwalwasser, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG), highlighted their role as a key partner in this effort. He remarked, "We are pleased to be partnering with DOJ and the Postal Inspection Service to implement the Whistleblower Rewards Program to incentivize individuals and companies to provide information about collusive behavior without fear of reprisal."
The program offers monetary rewards for whistleblowers who provide evidence leading to successful prosecution, potentially earning up to 30% of any criminal fines recovered. It is designed to expand upon existing efforts by encouraging reports on illegal agreements such as price-fixing or bid-rigging.
To facilitate this process, a dedicated webpage has been established for potential whistleblowers at www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
