- with readers working within the Retail & Leisure industries
On January 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (DOJ) announced the first monetary award issued under the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program (the Program), launched last July in coordination with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). As explained in our July 2025 Advisory, while the Program nominally covers only crimes "affecting the Postal Service, its revenues, or property," the agencies are expected to liberally construe the required connection to USPS to maximize whistleblower reports. According to DOJ, it has been witnessing a "frenzy" of potential whistleblowers since it launched the Program. And just over six months after the Program's launch, DOJ's first award signals how broadly the Program will be administered.
DOJ will award the whistleblower $1 million for reporting antitrust and fraud violations by EBLOCK Corporation (EBLOCK), an online used vehicle auction platform. EBLOCK and DOJ resolved the resulting charges through a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, under which EBLOCK agreed to pay a $3.28 million penalty. The charged conduct, which involved a bid-rigging conspiracy on an acquired company's online auction platform, appears to have no connection to USPS, besides that "various documents in support of the scheme were sent via U.S. Mail." As Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale remarked, "[t]his award shows the commitment [of] the U.S. Postal Service and the Antitrust Division to support those who provide accurate, actionable intelligence about antitrust and related competition crimes with a connection to the U.S. Mail."
In light of this award, companies should be aware that simply using the U.S. Mail in connection with alleged antitrust violations could be a sufficient trigger for whistleblowers and, consequently, resulting charges. DOJ's announcement also highlights the importance of conducting antitrust due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, as well as maintaining an effective compliance program. According to DOJ's press release, EBLOCK's liability arose from conduct occurring at a company it had acquired and, although EBLOCK took steps to end the conduct, culpable employees were able to conceal their activities and continue their conduct for some time. An effective compliance program would allow a company to promptly detect and address problematic conduct and potentially take advantage of the Antitrust Division's Leniency Program by self-reporting before a whistleblower calls DOJ to cash in.
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