The Department of Justice, joined by 16 state attorneys general, filed a comprehensive antitrust lawsuit against Apple alleging the company illegally monopolizes smartphone markets through a systematic strategy of ecosystem lock-in, developer restrictions, and suppression of “super apps” …
Department of JusticeAppleTim Cook16 State Attorneys Generalantitrustappledojmonopolyregulatory-capture+4 more
On February 27, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice launched a major antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, focusing on whether the company’s vertical integration strategy—particularly Optum’s acquisition of physician practices—creates …
Department of JusticeUnitedHealth GroupUnitedHealthcareOptumhealthcaremedicare-advantageantitrustvertical-integrationregulatory-capture+1 more
U.S. District Judge William Young blocked JetBlue Airways’ $3.8 billion acquisition of low-cost rival Spirit Airlines on January 16, 2024, handing the Biden administration a significant victory in preserving airline competition. Judge Young ruled that the merger would harm competition and …
Department of JusticeJetBlue AirwaysSpirit AirlinesJudge William Youngantitrustdojairline-industrymerger-enforcementbiden-administration+1 more
The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice released final 2023 Merger Guidelines on December 18, 2023, representing a major departure from the consumer welfare standard that had guided antitrust enforcement for nearly half a century. The Guidelines signaled a move from the existing …
Federal Trade CommissionDepartment of JusticeLina KhanJonathan Kanterantitrustftcdojmerger-guidelinesregulatory-reform+2 more
Binance Holdings Limited, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, failure to register as a money transmitting business, and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in the largest corporate criminal penalty in …
Changpeng ZhaoBinanceDepartment of JusticeMerrick GarlandLisa Monaco+5 morecryptoregulatory-capturemoney-launderingfraudsanctions-violations+4 more
On March 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested Ho Wan Kwok (Guo Wengui) in a landmark twelve-count federal indictment alleging a complex, multi-year fraud scheme defrauding thousands of victims of approximately $1 billion. The sophisticated conspiracy involved fraudulent investments …
Guo WenguiHo Wan KwokKin Ming JeDepartment of JusticeSteve Bannon+1 morefinancial-fraudmoney-launderinginfluence-operationsinternational-crimeinvestment-scam
On January 24, 2023, the United States Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google seeking to break up the company’s advertising technology business—marking the first government attempt to structurally dismantle a major corporation since AT&T in 1982. The case …
Department of JusticeGoogleSundar PichaiJonathan Kanter8 State Attorneys Generalgoogledojantitrustad-techdivestiture+3 more
Roger Stone and wife settled DOJ civil lawsuit for $2.1 million over unpaid taxes (2007-2018) and alleged fraudulent transfers. DOJ claimed Stones used Drake Ventures entity and Bertran Trust to evade $1.7M in taxes and hide assets from IRS collection efforts, funding their political influence …
Roger StoneDepartment of Justicefinancial-crimestax-evasionstone-networkfraudulent-transfers
Trump attorney Christina Bobb signed a certification stating that all classified documents
requested by the May 11 grand jury subpoena had been returned to the government. The
attestation, drafted by Evan Corcoran, proved false when the FBI found 103 additional
classified documents during the August …
Christina BobbEvan CorcoranDonald TrumpDepartment of Justiceclassified-documentsfalse-statementsobstruction-of-justicemar-a-lagocriminal-investigation
A federal grand jury issued a subpoena requiring Trump to return all documents “bearing
classification markings” in his possession. This legal demand came after the National
Archives discovered classified materials in boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s
alleged failure to …
Donald TrumpDepartment of JusticeFederal grand juryclassified-documentsgrand-jurysubpoenaobstruction-of-justicemar-a-lago
The National Archives retrieved 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago containing 184 classified documents
totaling 700 pages, including 25 marked “top secret,” 92 “secret,” and 67 “confidential.”
Documents included CIA, FBI, and NSA materials on national security topics, some …
Donald TrumpNational ArchivesDepartment of Justiceclassified-documentsmar-a-lagonational-archivesobstruction-of-justicepresidential-records
The U.S. Senate confirmed Jonathan Kanter as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice by a bipartisan vote of 68-29 on November 16, 2021, and he was sworn in the same day. Kanter’s confirmation came after the longest delay for a nominee to lead the …
Jonathan KanterDepartment of JusticeU.S. SenateAntitrust Divisionantitrustdojbiden-administrationregulatory-reformbig-tech+1 more
On September 15, 2021, Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Maggie Nichols delivered powerful testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the FBI’s catastrophic mishandling of sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar. The athletes’ testimony …
Simone BilesMcKayla MaroneyAly RaismanMaggie NicholsChristopher Wray+5 morecongressional-testimonyfbi-failureinstitutional-abusegymnasticsaccountability+2 more
Former Air Force intelligence analyst and NSA contractor Daniel Everette Hale was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for leaking classified documents that exposed the devastating civilian toll of the U.S. drone warfare program. His disclosures revealed that nearly 90 percent of people killed …
Daniel HaleNSAThe InterceptDepartment of JusticeBiden Administrationwhistleblower-prosecutionespionage-actdroneswar-crimesafghanistan
President Biden signed Executive Order 14036, ‘Promoting Competition in the American Economy,’ on July 9, 2021, launching what the administration characterized as the most comprehensive federal effort to promote competition since the New Deal. The executive order directed over a dozen …
Joe BidenFederal Trade CommissionDepartment of JusticeWhite House Competition Councilantitrustbiden-administrationcompetitionregulatory-reformexecutive-order+1 more
President Joe Biden signs Executive Order 14006, titled “Reforming Our Incarceration System to Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated Criminal Detention Facilities,” directing the Attorney General to not renew Department of Justice contracts with privately operated prisons. The order …
Joe BidenDepartment of JusticeBureau of PrisonsU.S. Marshals ServiceCoreCivic+2 moreprivate-prisonbiden-administrationexecutive-orderprison-reformimmigration-detention+1 more
DOJ official Jeffrey Clark sent Signal messages to Rep. Scott Perry admitting that a highly classified briefing on foreign election interference “yielded nothing” to support stolen election claims, writing “Bottom line is there is nothing helpful to P” (referring to the …
Jeffrey ClarkScott PerryDonald TrumpDepartment of Justicejeffrey-clarkscott-perrysignal-messagesjanuary-6doj-corruption+2 more
Environmental lawyer Jeffrey Clark attempted to use the Department of Justice to overturn the 2020 election by sending false fraud letters to swing states. Clark drafted a letter falsely claiming DOJ had identified ‘significant concerns’ about the election and urging Georgia to convene a …
Jeffrey ClarkDonald TrumpJeffrey RosenRichard DonoghueDepartment of Justiceconstitutional-crisisinstitutional-capturecoup-attemptjanuary-6kleptocracy+6 more
After nearly a decade of systematic fraud, multiple investigations, Congressional hearings, and billions in penalties, the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal concludes with a stark scorecard that defines two-tiered justice in American finance: 3.5 million fraudulent accounts affecting millions of …
Wells FargoJohn StumpfCarrie TolstedtDepartment of Justicecorporate-fraudwells-fargotwo-tiered-justicecorporate-accountabilitysystemic-analysis
On October 20, 2020, the United States Department of Justice, joined by eleven state Attorneys General, filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google LLC for illegally monopolizing search and search advertising markets. The case represented the federal government’s most significant …
Department of JusticeGoogleSundar PichaiAppleTim Cook+3 moregoogledojantitrustsearch-monopolyapple-deal+3 more
On April 3, 2020, Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corporation (UTC) completed a $135 billion merger creating Raytheon Technologies, the world’s second-largest aerospace and defense company behind only Boeing. The merger combined Raytheon’s weapons systems—including the Patriot …
RaytheonUnited Technologies CorporationGreg HayesDepartment of JusticeBAE Systemsraytheondefense-contractorsantitrustmonopolizationmergers+1 more
The Department of Justice announces it will not bring criminal charges against any Wells Fargo executives for their roles in the fake accounts scandal, instead accepting a deferred prosecution agreement with the corporation. Despite Wells Fargo’s admission that “top Community Bank …
Department of JusticeWilliam BarrWells Fargocorporate-fraudwells-fargodojprosecutorial-discretiontwo-tiered-justice
Attorney General Bill Barr personally intervened to reduce sentencing recommendations for Trump allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, causing four career prosecutors to withdraw from Stone’s case in protest and one to resign from DOJ entirely. After prosecutors recommended 7-9 years for …
Bill BarrRoger StoneMichael FlynnDonald TrumpDepartment of Justiceobstruction-of-justiceabuse-of-powerrule-of-lawcorruptionpoliticization
Boeing released hundreds of internal messages to Congressional investigators and the FAA on January 9, 2020, revealing that employees knew the 737 MAX was unsafe, mocked regulators, and conspired to deceive certification authorities. In one April 2017 exchange, just before the aircraft’s first …
Boeing employeesFederal Aviation AdministrationDepartment of JusticeHouse Transportation CommitteeSenator Richard Blumenthalboeing737-maxinternal-communicationsregulatory-capturefraud+1 more
Edward Snowden published his memoir “Permanent Record” on September 17, 2019 (Constitution Day), through Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company. The book provided Snowden’s first-person account of his life, his work in the intelligence community, his decision to …
Edward SnowdenDepartment of JusticeACLUedward-snowdenwhistleblowingmemoirdoj-lawsuitnsa-surveillance+1 more
A U.S. grand jury added 17 counts under the Espionage Act to the federal indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, marking the first time in American history that the government used the 1917 anti-spying law to prosecute a publisher for receiving and publishing truthful classified …
Julian AssangeWikiLeaksDepartment of JusticeTrump Administrationespionage-actpress-freedomwikileaksfirst-amendmentextradition
Federal Judge Lucy Koh issues a 233-page decision finding Qualcomm violated antitrust laws (Sherman Act Sections 1 and 2) through its ’no license, no chips’ policy for standard essential patents (SEPs) covering cellular modem technology, which Qualcomm had committed to license on Fair, …
FTCLucy KohQualcommNinth Circuit Court of AppealsDepartment of Justice+1 moreintellectual-propertypatent-abusestandard-essential-patentsfrandantitrust+3 more
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced Maria Butina to 18 months in federal prison on April 26, 2019 for conspiring to act as a Russian agent without registering with the Justice Department. The sentencing took place in Washington, D.C. federal court. Butina had been in custody since her arrest …
Maria ButinaTanya ChutkanDepartment of JusticeNational Rifle Associationrussian-influencesentencingforeign-agentsnrafara-violations+2 more
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation agreed to pay $5.2 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it fraudulently billed the United States Postal Service for personnel who lacked the required education and experience qualifications specified in their contract labor categories. The …
Northrop GrummanDepartment of JusticeU.S. Postal ServiceUSPS Office of Inspector Generaldefense contractorsfraudfalse claims actcontractor abuseaccountability+1 more
Maria Butina pleaded guilty in federal court on December 13, 2018 to one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation without registering with the U.S. government, while the original charge of failing to register as a foreign agent was dropped. She became the first Russian …
Maria ButinaAlexander TorshinDepartment of JusticePaul EricksonNational Rifle Associationrussian-influenceguilty-pleasforeign-agentsnrafara-violations+3 more
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation agreed to pay $31.65 million to settle civil and criminal charges for systematically defrauding the U.S. Air Force by overbilling labor hours on battlefield communications contracts between January 2011 and October 2013. The settlement included $27.45 million for …
Northrop GrummanDepartment of JusticeU.S. Air ForceDefense Criminal Investigative ServiceFBI+1 moredefense contractorsfraudmilitary-industrial complexfalse claims actpentagon contracts+2 more
The Department of Justice approved Cigna’s $52 billion acquisition of Express Scripts, one of the three largest pharmacy benefit managers, completing the deal announced in March 2018. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim stated that after a six-month investigation reviewing over two …
CignaExpress ScriptsDepartment of JusticeMakan DelrahimDavid Cordanihealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+2 more
The FBI arrested Maria Butina in Washington, D.C. on July 15, 2018, charging her with acting in the United States as an agent of the Russian government without prior notification to the Attorney General, and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. The arrest came after an 18-month …
Maria ButinaFBIAlexander TorshinDepartment of JusticeNational Rifle Associationrussian-influencearrestsforeign-agentsnrafara-violations+3 more
Bayer AG completed its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto after receiving antitrust approval from U.S. and European regulators, consolidating the agricultural seeds and chemicals industry from the “Big Six” into a “Big Four” oligopoly controlling over 60% of global seed …
Bayer AGMonsantoDepartment of JusticeAntitrust DivisionEuropean Commission+1 moreantitrustconsolidationmergeragricultureoligopoly+4 more
CVS Health announced its $69 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna (with debt, $77 billion total), marking the largest healthcare merger in U.S. history and accelerating vertical integration in pharmacy benefit management. Under the deal, Aetna shareholders would receive $145 in cash plus …
CVS HealthAetnaLarry MerloMark BertoliniDepartment of Justicehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+2 more
Former Air Force veteran and NSA contractor Reality Leigh Winner was arrested for leaking a classified intelligence report documenting Russian cyberattacks on U.S. election infrastructure. Her case would result in the longest prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government …
Reality WinnerNSAThe InterceptDepartment of JusticeTrump Administrationwhistleblower-prosecutionespionage-actrussiaelection-interferencepress-freedom
Private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group saw their stock prices surge 100% and 98% respectively after donating nearly $2.8 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately reversed Obama’s order to phase out private prisons, declaring …
CoreCivicGEO GroupJeff SessionsDonald TrumpImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)+1 moreprivate-prisonspay-to-playimmigration-detentioncampaign-financecorruption
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issues a one-paragraph memorandum rescinding the August 18, 2016 directive from Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to phase out federal use of private prisons. Sessions claims the Obama policy “changed long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the …
Jeff SessionsDepartment of JusticeDonald TrumpCoreCivicGEO Group+1 moreprivate-prisontrump-administrationjeff-sessionsdojprison-industrial-complex+2 more
President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, reducing her 35-year prison term to seven years served with a release date of May 17, 2017. The commutation came after Manning attempted suicide twice in 2016 while serving her sentence as a transgender woman in a men’s military …
Barack ObamaChelsea ManningDepartment of Justicewhistleblower-prosecutionclemencylgbtqtortureaccountability
Anheuser-Busch InBev completed its $107 billion acquisition of SABMiller, the largest-ever deal in the beer industry, after receiving antitrust approval requiring divestiture of SABMiller’s U.S. business (MillerCoors stake) to Molson Coors. The merger consolidated the global beer industry into …
Anheuser-Busch InBevSABMillerMolson CoorsDepartment of JusticeAntitrust Divisionantitrustconsolidationmergerbeer-industryduopoly+2 more
Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates issues a memorandum directing the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to discontinue outsourcing operations to private entities and either decline to renew contracts or substantially reduce their scope as they expire. The memo cites a comprehensive Office of Inspector General …
Sally YatesDepartment of JusticeBureau of PrisonsCoreCivicGEO Group+1 moreprivate-prisonprison-reformobama-administrationdojprison-industrial-complex
A federal magistrate judge ordered Apple to create special software to bypass security features on an iPhone 5C used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, triggering the most public battle over encryption in U.S. history. The FBI sought to unlock the device after the December 2015 attack …
AppleTim CookFBIJames ComeyDepartment of Justiceencryptionprivacy-rightstech-resistanceapplefbi+2 more
In 2016, a whistleblower who had worked for 12 years at the American Kidney Fund filed a lawsuit alleging that dialysis giants DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care—which together control over 80 percent of the $24.7 billion U.S. dialysis market—operated a years-long kickback scheme where they donated …
DaVitaFresenius Medical CareAmerican Kidney FundDepartment of JusticeFederal Trade Commissionhealthcaredialysissystematic-corruptionmonopolykickbacks+3 more
DaVita Healthcare Partners agrees to pay $450 million (ultimately $495 million) to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it knowingly created unnecessary waste in administering dialysis drugs Zemplar and Venofer, then fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for the avoidable waste. …
DaVitaKent ThiryAlon J. VainerDaniel D. BarbirDepartment of Justicehealthcaredialysismedicare-fraudwhistleblowerpatient-harm+1 more
On September 18, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a Notice of Violation to Volkswagen Group, exposing one of history’s largest corporate environmental frauds: VW had intentionally installed “defeat device” software in approximately 11 million diesel vehicles …
Volkswagen GroupEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)California Air Resources Board (CARB)International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)West Virginia University+2 moreenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionemissions-fraudpublic-health
Northrop Grumman Corporation paid the United States $11.4 million to settle government claims that it violated a 2002 settlement agreement with the Defense Contract Management Agency by improperly charging federal contracts for deferred compensation awards to key executives, demonstrating how …
Northrop GrummanDepartment of JusticeDefense Contract Management AgencyDefense Contract Audit Agencydefense contractorsfraudfalse claims actexecutive compensationcontractor abuse+2 more
On February 3, 2015, the Department of Justice, 19 states, and the District of Columbia reached a $1.375 billion settlement with Standard & Poor’s (S&P) over allegations that the credit rating agency knowingly inflated ratings on risky mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt …
Standard & Poor'sMoody's Investors ServiceFitch RatingsDepartment of JusticeSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)financial-crisisregulatory-captureconflict-of-interestfraudaccountability-crisis+1 more
DaVita Healthcare Partners, the nation’s second-largest dialysis provider, agrees to pay $350 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to physicians to induce patient referrals to its dialysis clinics from 2005-2014. The scheme involved DaVita offering …
DaVitaKent ThiryDepartment of JusticeHHS Office of Inspector Generalhealthcaredialysismedicare-fraudkickbacksregulatory-capture+2 more
Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive 214-page report documenting that many high-profile FBI terrorism prosecutions were “an illusion” based on aggressive sting operations that entrapped vulnerable individuals who posed no genuine threat. The report analyzed decades of terrorism …
FBIHuman Rights WatchDepartment of Justicefbi-abuseentrapmentterrorism-prosecutioncivil-libertiesaccountability
The Department of Justice approved American Airlines’ merger with US Airways after initially suing to block the deal, completing a five-year consolidation wave that reduced major U.S. airlines from seven to four dominant carriers controlling three-quarters of the commercial air travel market. …
American AirlinesUS AirwaysDepartment of JusticeAntitrust Divisionantitrustconsolidationmergeroligopolyregulatory-capture+2 more