Overview

Launched in July 2025 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program encourages individuals to report criminal, non-public violations of the antitrust laws, including price-fixing and bid-rigging. Whistleblowers who provide original information that results in more than $1 million in criminal fines or recoveries may be eligible to receive an award ranging from 15% to 30% of the amount collected.

LOPDS has successfully pursued criminal and civil anti-trust whistleblower matters with the Department of Justice in the past.  

How the Program Works

✧  Eligible Information

To qualify for a reward, a whistleblower must:
– Provide original, detailed, credible, and timely information not already known to DOJ.
– Report potential criminal antitrust violations (e.g., violations of the Sherman Act).
– Provide information that helps identify or lead to a prosecution resulting in criminal fines or comparable recoveries of at least $1 million. 

✧  Conduct covered by the Program

– The definition of antitrust conduct for program purposes is broad and may include price-fixing, bid-rigging, and other cartel conduct.

– Fraud or other offenses that are related to antitrust schemes (e.g., wire fraud, procurement fraud) may be covered when related to the antitrust prosecution. 

✧ Reward Amounts & Formula

– Eligible whistleblowers may receive between 15% and 30% of the monetary sanctions (fines or criminal recoveries) that result directly from the reported information.

– The total award cannot exceed 30% of the criminal fine or recovery in a case.  If multiple qualifying whistleblowers contribute to the same case, the total award pool (max 30%) is shared among them. 

✧ Who Can File

Individuals with original and credible information about antitrust violations — including employees, competitors, customers, or other insiders — are eligible to submit tips. 

✧  Restrictions

Certain individuals may be ineligible for an award, including:

– Those who instigated or led the criminal antitrust activity.

– Officers or directors who learned of the misconduct solely due to their leadership role.

– Whistleblowers whose information is already known to DOJ or others before submission. 

✧  Minimum Threshold

– To qualify for a reward, DOJ must recover at least $1 million in criminal fines or penalties in the associated enforcement action. 

✧  Confidentiality & Anti-Retaliation

– The DOJ treats whistleblower identity and submitted information as confidential and discloses them only as required by law and as necessary for law enforcement purposes.      

– Federal laws protect whistleblowers from employer retaliation when reporting criminal antitrust violations. 

✧ Limitations

– DOJ retains discretion over whether to grant an award and how much to pay, but they have been actively promoting the program and paying awards.

– Awards are tied to criminal enforcement actions 

– Civil antitrust cases generally do not qualify unless they simultaneously produce criminal fines. 

– Whether the conduct affects USPS revenue or property is a consideration, but the use of mail in connection with a scheme or other factors may satisfy this element. 

For more information, visit: DOJ Press Release