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ARTICLE · 05 FEBRUARY 2026

Check Is In The Mail: DOJ Announces First-Ever Antitrust Whistleblower Payment

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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)...

United StatesAntitrust/Competition Law
Esther Ha Yoon Sohn
Esther Ha Yoon Sohn
Andre Geverola
Andre Geverola
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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.

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