Antitrust Division

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki Delivers Remarks at the Morocco Competition Council Conference on Competitive Neutrality and Market Access "One way that federal agencies can promote competition is in their role as sectoral regulators. Federal agencies can adopt, amend or remove regulations to increase competition by, for example, reducing entry barriers, creating access to markets, removing incumbency advantages and lowering compliance costs, benefiting participants throughout the market. How agencies regulate can play a significant factor in how competitive the market is." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gV8csHEN

Justice Department Sues to Block UnitedHealth Group’s Acquisition of Home Health and Hospice Provider Amedisys Transaction Threatens to Negatively Affect Care for Vulnerable Patients and Harm Home Health and Hospice Nurses Critical to Providing that Care The Justice Department, together with the Attorneys General of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UnitedHealth)’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of rival home health and hospice services provider Amedisys Inc. (Amedisys). The complaint filed in the District of Maryland alleges that the transaction would eliminate competition between UnitedHealth and Amedisys (Defendants). Since UnitedHealth’s prior acquisition of Amedisys’s home health and hospice rival LHC Group Inc. (LHC) in 2023, Defendants have been two of the largest home health and hospice providers in the United States. Eliminating the competition between UnitedHealth and Amedisys would harm patients who receive home health and hospice services, insurers who contract for home health services, and nurses who provide home health and hospice services. “We are challenging this merger because home health and hospice patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to check unlawful consolidation and monopolization in the healthcare market that threatens to harm vulnerable patients, their families, and health care workers.” “Millions of patients depend on United and Amedisys to receive home health and hospice care in the comfort of their homes,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The Department’s lawsuit demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that consolidation does not threaten quality, affordability, or wages in these vital healthcare markets. I commend the staff of the Antitrust Division for their extraordinary work on this matter.” “American healthcare is unwell. Unless this $3.3 billion transaction is stopped, UnitedHealth Group will further extend its grip to home health and hospice care, threatening seniors, their families and nurses,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “I want to thank my colleagues at the Antitrust Division for their tireless efforts to fight on behalf of Americans for a competitive economy.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gj2eW54i

Six defendants have been charged for their roles in schemes to rig bids, defraud the government and pay bribes and kickbacks in connection with the sale of IT products and services to federal government purchasers, which resulted in overcharges of millions of dollars to the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense (DoD). On Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, a federal grand jury in Baltimore returned indictments against two additional defendants. Four other defendants were also charged. These are the first charges in the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into IT manufacturers, distributors and resellers who sell products and services to government purchasers, including to the intelligence community. “Antitrust crimes can undermine competition for products and services that are vital to our national security,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “When fraudsters siphon taxpayer funds, the Antitrust Division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) partners across the government will hold accountable those who collude to subvert competition, line their pockets with federal procurement dollars and compromise the integrity of our intelligence community programs.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gk3rCYzm

Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Meet with G7 Enforcement Partners in Rome to Discuss the Challenges of Ensuring Competition in AI The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission participated in the G7 Competition Authorities and Policymakers Summit yesterday and today to discuss how enforcers and policymakers can ensure healthy competition in AI-related technologies, products and applications. The Summit was convened by the G7 Industry, Technology and Digital Ministerial Declaration and hosted in Rome by the Italian Competition Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato). The Antitrust Division was led by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki. “Sharing the United States’ experiences and perspectives and reflecting on best practices alongside international enforcers helps us better apply the U.S. antitrust laws to unlock economic opportunity for the American people,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki. “We thank Italy for organizing an exceptional G7 summit and for driving a timely conversation on promoting competition in AI.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gzBruH7J

Vice President of Asphalt Paving Company Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging Sixth Individual Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Investigation of Collusion in Michigan-Area Asphalt Industry A senior executive of a Michigan asphalt paving company pleaded guilty today for his role in two separate conspiracies to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan. According to court documents, David A. Coppola, vice president of Taylor-based Al’s Asphalt Paving Company Inc. (Al’s Asphalt), conspired with Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied) and employees from those companies to rig their bids. Coppola participated in the two conspiracies from March 2013 through November 2018, and from June 2013 through June 2019, respectively. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtDxvgAR

Justice Department Sues Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets Visa’s Exclusionary and Anticompetitive Conduct Undermines Choice and Innovation in Payments and Imposes Enormous Costs on Consumers, Merchants, and the American Economy The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today against Visa for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in debit network markets in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint alleges that Visa illegally maintains a monopoly over debit network markets by using its dominance to thwart the growth of its existing competitors and prevent others from developing new and innovative alternatives. According to the complaint, more than 60% of debit transactions in the United States run on Visa’s debit network, allowing it to charge over $7 billion in fees each year for processing those transactions. The complaint further alleges that Visa illegally maintains its monopoly power by insulating itself from competition. For example, Visa wields its dominance, enormous scale, and centrality to the debit ecosystem to impose a web of exclusionary agreements on merchants and banks. These agreements penalize Visa’s customers who route transactions to a different debit network or alternative payment system. In so doing, the complaint alleges, Visa locks up debit volume, insulates itself from competition, and smothers smaller, lower-priced competitors. Visa also induces would-be competitors to become partners instead of entering the market as competitors by offering generous monetary incentives and threatening punitive additional fees. As the complaint alleges, Visa coopted the competition because it feared losing share, revenues, or being displaced by another debit network altogether. “We allege that Visa has unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Merchants and banks pass along those costs to consumers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service. As a result, Visa’s unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing – but the price of nearly everything.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gP5GFjaH

Join the Justice Department for a Recruitment Roundtable on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 2:00 p.m. ET The United States Department of Justice is hosting a recruiting event as a part of its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The United States Trustee for New York, the United States Attorney for New York, and the Antitrust Division will have a conversation about the pathways to careers with the Department of Justice. Panelists will share what lead them to become DOJ employees, why it is a fulfilling and exciting place to work, and answer audience questions about careers with the Department. Register & learn more: https://lnkd.in/gicFvpfm

Justice Department Withdraws from 1995 Bank Merger Guidelines https://lnkd.in/gM5rFuf2

The United States Department of Justice is holding an in-person and virtual Recruitment Roundtable! When: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 - 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. EST. Where: Virtually or at the Auditorium of the National Museum of the American Indian, Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, One Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004 Join Panelists from the United States Trustee Program, Antitrust Division, and the United States Attorneys’ Office to hear about exciting careers in the Department of Justice. Register for the event: https://lnkd.in/gGHzhCdE

The Justice Department celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month! #HispanicHeritageMonth #MesDeLaHerenciaHispana https://lnkd.in/eKxYm9EX