On December 1 2025, I had finished an article about how the defendant might avoid the application of the per se rule in his upcoming trial for allegedly rigging a bid for a multi-million dollar entertainment facility for a public
Cartel Capers
Cartel Capers, published by Connolly Law, focuses on antitrust law with particular attention to criminal antitrust prosecutions, bid rigging, and the application of the Sherman Act. The blog discusses legal defenses related to the per se rule, political influences on antitrust enforcement, and developments in whistleblower reward programs within the antitrust context. It analyzes significant cases, government enforcement actions, and legislative or regulatory changes affecting competition law. The blog also covers procedural and substantive issues in antitrust litigation, including jury instructions, appeals, and the impact of presidential pardons on antitrust cases.
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Testimony of Roger P. Alford on Politicalization of Antitrust Enforcement before the House Subcommittee on the Administrative States, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
By Bob Connolly
On December 16, 2025, Professor Roger P. Alford, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School and former Principal Deputy Attorney General for the DOJ’s Antitrust Division in the current Administration, testified before the House subcommittee on antitrust. The topic…
New Article: Per Se Rule Related Defenses In Criminal Antitrust Prosecutions
By Bob Connolly
As I posted last week, I had written an article, with the help of Erin Lyman, a third year student at the University of Wisconsin Law School, discussing the per se rule and the various ways the defense may…
Pardon the Interruption: No Trial for Oak View CEO Indicted for Rigging Multi-Million Dollar Project
In July of this year Timothy Leiweke was indicted by the Trump administration Antitrust Division for bid rigging on a multi-million dollar project for the Moody Center at the University of Texas at Austin. At the time, the Antitrust…
Some Thoughts on the Antitrust Division’s New Whistleblower Reward Program
By Bob Connolly
As most everyone knows by now, on July 8, 2025 the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced a Whistleblower Rewards Program with a dedicated webpage. Only time will tell if the program results in any…
Whistling in the Wind…For a Whistleblower Statute To Help Hypothetical Bill
By Bob Connolly
For many reasons, international cartels cases have all but disappeared. The increased collateral effects of seeking Leniency is a major reason. There are many potential whistleblowers in the cartel pond, yet rarely does an insider come forward (The DOJ has…
DOJ Fugitive Page (And the Fugitive Disentitlement Doctrine)
By Bob Connolly
Recently the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the FBI jointly announced the launch of a new online portal for information on international fugitives who have been charged with antitrust offenses and other crimes affecting the…
What If There Was No Per Se Rule in Criminal Cases?
By Bob Connolly
The Supreme Court has now denied cert in three different challenges to the per se rule in criminal antitrust cases, the latest being the denial of the cross-cert petition by Brent Brewbaker. It is unlikely that a Court of…
Compliments to the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (and a trip down memory lane)
By Bob Connolly
The Antitrust Division of the USDOJ recently celebrated the Fifth Anniversary of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force. The event, held at the Great Hall of the Department of Justice, featured speeches by Assistant Attorney…
Supreme Court Set To Make Cert Decision On Per Se Battle
By Bob Connolly
On February 1, 2022, Brent Brewbaker, a former executive of Contech Engineered Solutions LLC was convicted by a jury for his participation in bid-rigging and fraud schemes targeting the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). The conviction seemed an unremarkable…