The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on July 8, 2025, announced a new Whistleblower Rewards Program designed to uncover and prosecute anticompetitive conduct that harms consumers, taxpayers, and market competition, focused on postal-related operations and federal procurement. This is the first time the Antitrust Division has authorized financial rewards for whistleblowers—a significant shift considering the Division’s emphasis on the Leniency Program which was first established in 1978 and revised in 1993. The payment to reporting individuals may be made for up to 30 percent of a criminal fine of at least $1 million following a conviction or deferred or non-prosecution agreement. The new Whistleblower Rewards Program provides another avenue for individuals with credible, specific, and timely information to report.
The new program is implemented in partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and is intended to strengthen the DOJ’s ability to detect and prosecute both antitrust violations and related offenses. The Whistleblower Rewards Program is established under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the three agencies. The program applies to conduct that directly or indirectly affects the Postal Service, targeting violations of law “affecting the Postal Service, its revenues, or property, to the person informing for the same.” 39 U.S.C. § 404(a)(7)).
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