DOJ Scrutinizing Private Equity Merger Disclosures (1)

The Justice Department is investigating whether some private equity companies may have intentionally withheld information in previous mergers, a senior official said Wednesday.

Richard Mosier, former special counsel for private equity in the DOJ’s antitrust division, said the agency has “renewed focus” on making sure that private equity firms comply with the federal law that requires companies to notify antitrust enforcers of their transactions, known as the Hart-Scott-Rodino or HSR Act.

Companies that “try to game the system, they run the risk of having that HSR and perhaps prior HSRs scrutinized. The person who signs the form opens themselves up ...