First whistleblower reward sparks race to report, lawyers say

Lisa Phelan spoke to Global Competition Review about the Justice Department's (DOJ) first issuance of an antitrust whistleblower reward of $1 million to an anonymous individual who reported a bid-rigging conspiracy involving car auction website EBLOCK. The company agreed to pay a $3.3 million criminal fine and update its compliance program in exchange for a deferred prosecution agreement acknowledging its role in a conspiracy to rig bids for $16 million worth of used cars. 

Lisa said the EBLOCK settlement shows the value of these reports and that the whistleblower’s involvement could have played a role in the DOJ’s decision to pursue a DPA instead of a guilty plea. She said, "The Antitrust Division may have offered a DPA so the company would pay the penalty immediately, which could provide money to reward the whistleblower and allow the government to announce this result earlier."

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