Articles Posted in DOJ Antitrust Highlights

On July 30, 2009, the DOJ announced that it reached a settlement that will require Sapa Holding AB and Indalex Holdings Finance Inc. to divest a North Carolina aluminum sheathing facility in order to proceed with Sapa’s proposed $150 million acquisition of Indalex. According to the complaint, the transaction would substantially lessen competition for the…

On July 28, 2009, Nyree Patterson, the niece of former U.S. Army Major John Cockerham, pled guilty for her role in conspiracy to cover up her uncle’s involvement in accepting $9 million in bribes as a contracting officer at a Kuwaiti air base.Ms. Pettaway admitted to going to Kuwait in late 2006 and receiving $3…

On July 17, 2009, Patriot Services Inc. (“Patriot”), a temporary staffing company used by various government agencies and departments, and its owner/president, Stephanie Blackmon, pled guilty to making a false statement to the U.S. Small Business Association (“SBA”). Although Ms. Blackmon was officially the owner/president of Patriot from November 2003, the operations of Patriot was…

On July 6, 2009, Robert P. Griffiths, a former executive at Bennett Environmental Inc (“BEI”), a Canadian company that provides soil treatment, pled guilty to charges for paying kickbacks and committing fraud at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Superfund-site Federal Creosote in New Jersey. Mr. Griffiths also pled guilty to money laundering charges and…

On July 6, a number of news sources reported that the DOJ has begun looking into whether large U.S. telecommunications companies such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are abusing their market power they have amassed in recent years. The review is an indication of the Obama administration’s aggressive stance on antitrust enforcement. Christine…

On July 1, 2009, First Lieutenant Robert Moore (Ret.), plead guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges. Mr. Moore accepted money from contracts in exchange for Department of Defense (“DOD”) contracts at the Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan (“Bagram”). He also falsified the number of bunkers and barriers delivered to Bagram, causing the DOD to pay for bunkers…

On June 30, 2009, Franch A. March, a chief executive officer of a former Virginia marine products company, pled guilty for his role in conspiracy to rig bids and allocate customers with respect to foam-filled fenders and buoys bought by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Card, and other private companies. Mr. March has also agreed…

On June 25, 2009, Tijani Ahmed Saani, a contracting officer at the Department of Defense, plead guilty to filing false tax returns from 2003 to 2007. While working on detail at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, he failed to properly file tax returns by not reporting overseas bank accounts in the United States and Jersey Channel Islands.

On June 25, 2009, Frederick Landgraber, a co-owner of a New Jersey landscaping company, plead guilty to his role in a fraud conspiracy at the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)-Superfund site, Federal Creosote. Mr. Landgraber was involved in the conspiracy from March 2002 to June 2005. Mr. Landgraber paid $30,000 to an employee prime contractor at…

On June 19, 2009, Christopher P. West, a U.S. Army Major, and Patrick W. Boyd, a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant pled guilty to various bribery, fraud, and conspiracy charges related to Department of Defense contracts in Afghanistan. Charles Patton, a U.S. Army Sergeant pled guilty for receiving stolen property connected to the bribery conspiracy.…