Overview
- The whistleblower’s tip led to a deferred prosecution agreement with EBLOCK that includes a $3.28 million criminal fine, cooperation with ongoing investigations, and implementation of an antitrust compliance program.
- EBLOCK inherited a bid‑rigging and shill‑bidding scheme through its November 2020 acquisition of Company A, with legacy employees and a competitor affecting about $16.2 million in sales until the conduct ended in February 2022.
- Launched in July 2025, the DOJ–USPS Whistleblower Rewards Program pays individuals 15%–30% of criminal recoveries above $1 million for providing new, original information tied to a USPS nexus.
- Program rules allow some participants in the misconduct to receive awards if they were neither coercers nor clear leaders, and DOJ officials report a surge of tips since the launch.
- Legal analysts advise companies to strengthen antitrust diligence in M&A, embed compliance into integration, and bolster confidential reporting channels to move faster than outside whistleblowers.