Whistleblower in Bid Rigging Gets DOJ’s First $1 Million Reward

An informant who reported illegal bid-rigging of used car auctions to federal authorities received a $1 million reward, the Justice Department said Thursday, the first antitrust whistleblower award under a program announced last year.

Information from the whistleblower led to a deferred prosecution agreement under which eBlock Inc., a Canadian firm whose software helps auto dealers buy and sell inventory, will pay a $3.28 million criminal fine. The whistleblower’s identity remains confidential because the investigation is continuing.

According to court filings, a California-based auction platform started conspiring in 2015 with an auto wholesale company to rig used car transactions ...