The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of our lives but one of the most glaring are the persistent price increases and supply chain disruptions. While some price increases can be seen as normal, many are the result of an effort to exploit consumers and engage in collusive conduct detrimental to companies and customers.
Today, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and the FBI announced a joint initiative to detect, deter, and prosecute those that exploit supply chain disruptions with the goal of overcharging customers.
“The lingering challenge of supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for criminals to fix prices and overcharge customers,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to collaborate and investigate schemes that violate our antitrust laws and stifle our economic recovery.”.
The Antitrust Division is prioritizing existing investigations and has formed a group that is focusing on global supply chain collusion with global partners the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau, the New Zealand Commerce Commission, and the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority.
This is a developing story, read the full DOJ press release here.
If you have knowledge of price-fixing, bid-rigging, market allocation agreements, or any other anticompetitive behavior, please call the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
The Joseph Saveri Law Firm is a leading antitrust firm. Please contact us with any questions or if you have information on any companies engaging in harmful and illegal anticompetitive behavior.
Any information you provide will be kept strictly confidential as provided by law.