BetaIndependent coverage of competition enforcement
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission warn lawbreaking companies that they are closely monitoring petroleum markets and gas prices and will take all appropriate measures to stop illegal conduct contributing to high gas prices.
According to prosecutors, a South Carolina manager of a bovine artificial insemination firm pleaded guilty today to rigging bids for the purchase of cattle used either for the direct production of semen or for the development of animals for future semen production. In advance of cattle auctions, Lutz and his co-conspirators agreed which company would win the bid.
According to the government, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, joined by the Attorney General of Tennessee, announced today that they will require CRH and its subsidiary APAC-Tennessee to divest two hot-mix asphalt plants as part of its acquisition of Standard Construction to address antitrust concerns in western Tennessee. Roughly $37.4 billion is at issue. Civil settlements typically resolve allegations without a finding or admission of liability.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division filed a proposed consent decree today to resolve the United States’ claims against Pinnacle Property Management Services LLC, as part of its ongoing enforcement action in the Middle District of North Carolina against algorithmic coordination, the use of competitors’ competitively sensitive data.
According to prosecutors, Veteran Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Navy Out of More Than $9 Million Via Bid Rigging and False Billing.
Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), building on the joint progress of the Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture to strengthen competition for agricultural inputs.