Antitrust Division Awards First $1 Million Whistleblower Payout

On January 29, 2026, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (the “Division”) announced its first-ever monetary award under the Division’s new whistleblower program, a $1 million payment to an individual who provided information about a criminal bid-rigging scheme in the online used car market. 

According to the Division, the whistleblower’s information led to a deferred prosecution agreement under which EBLOCK Corporation agreed to pay a $3.28 million criminal fine and implement remedial compliance measures. Court filings indicate that EBLOCK, an online used car auction platform, acquired another used car auction company in November 2020.  EBLOCK became aware that the company it acquired was involved in an ongoing bid-rigging conspiracy with competitors, which it failed to promptly terminate.

The Whistleblower Rewards Program, announced in July 2025, is intended to generate leads from individuals with firsthand knowledge of criminal antitrust violations and related offenses. Under the program, eligible whistleblowers may receive awards of up to 30% of the resulting criminal fine, subject to Division discretion. 

Notably, the Division did not disclose how it calculated the $1 million award—which is slightly more than the 30% ceiling described in the program—or whether it reflects a fixed percentage of the $3.28 million criminal fine.  But the size of the payout nonetheless underscores the Division’s willingness to offer meaningful financial incentives for actionable information.  

Speaking at a public event the same day the award was announced, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi revealed that a “frenzy” of potential whistleblowers have come forward and the program is having a “massive effect on case generation.”  As Assefi has publicly noted, while the first company to self-report cartel conduct may still qualify for leniency, “the race is faster now, because employees and their attorneys are incentivized to blow the whistle and beat their companies to the Division’s doorstep.”

This inaugural award—both in size and timing—signals that whistleblower reports could become a significant driver of future cartel investigations.  DOJ leadership has repeatedly emphasized that whistleblower incentives are designed to accelerate reporting and place pressure on companies to identify and remediate issues before individuals do so externally.

Consequently, the implications are practical and immediate.

• Speed matters: Internal investigations, leniency assessments, and compliance escalation decisions must account for the possibility that employees may report directly to DOJ.
• Post-acquisition integration is critical: DOJ’s investigation reinforces that acquiring companies could face criminal exposure if unlawful conduct at a target continues after closing. Rapid integration of compliance programs, training, and reporting mechanisms remains essential.
• Internal reporting mechanisms must be credible:  Companies should ensure they maintain robust antitrust compliance programs, conduct regular training, and implement clear internal reporting mechanisms to reduce the risk of potential violations being reported to the government before they are identified internally. Companies should assess whether employees trust internal channels and whether issues are escalated quickly enough to compete with external whistleblower incentives.

From an enforcement perspective, this case also reflects the Division’s broader message that cartel enforcement tools are evolving, and traditional assumptions about how DOJ learns of conduct (e.g., through leniency applications alone) may no longer hold.