The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice announced on January 29, 2026 that it had rewarded $1,000,000.00 to an anonymous whistleblower for their report of a bid rigging scheme in violation of the Sherman Act and 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and which resulted in a deferred prosecution agreement that included a $3.28 million fine.[1] The reward was the first of its kind pursuant to the Antitrust Division’s new Whistleblower Rewards Program (“the Program”), which was enacted on July 8, 2025 in collaboration with the United States Postal Service.[2] The Program incentivizes individuals to report eligible violations to the Antitrust Division by offering them the possibility of receiving between 15% and 30% of any criminal fines recovered above $1 million.[3] While the Program received relatively little fanfare at the time of its enactment, employers should expect this reward and its resultant publicity to generate additional reports to the Antitrust Division, and must keep in mind that the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2019 prohibits covered employers from retaliating against employees for reporting criminal antitrust violations or otherwise engaging in protected activity under the statute.
[1] https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/antitrust-division-and-us-postal-service-award-first-ever-1m-payment-whistleblower-reporting
[2] https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-departments-antitrust-division-announces-whistleblower-rewards-program