Overview
- The Antitrust Division and U.S. Postal Service paid $1 million to an anonymous whistleblower whose tip led to a deferred prosecution agreement and a $3.28 million criminal fine against EBLOCK.
- Court filings allege EBLOCK bought an online auction rival in November 2020 and failed to promptly halt legacy employees’ bid-rigging and shill-bidding with a co-conspirator through February 2022, impacting more than $16 million in sales.
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi reported a surge in tips, describing a “frenzy” of potential whistleblowers and a major effect on case generation.
- The whistleblower program launched in July 2025 offers awards of 15–30% of criminal fines above $1 million, and DOJ has not disclosed how it calculated this award, which some reports note appears to exceed 30%.
- Filings indicate the program’s USPS nexus was satisfied by routine mail use tied to the scheme, and analyses warn that acquirers can inherit antitrust exposure, elevating the need for rapid post-acquisition reviews and remedial compliance.