The Justice Department and FBI have enacted a new initiative to detect and prosecute collusive exploitation of supply chain disruptions, the department said Feb. 16.
The initiative comes in the wake of price increases stemming from COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions. Under the initiative, the department's antitrust division will prioritize investigations of supply chain exploitation and has formed a working group with its global partners to develop and share intelligence.
"The lingering challenge of supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for criminals to fix prices and overcharge customers," said Luis Quesada, assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigative division. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to collaborate and investigate schemes that violate our antitrust laws and stifle our economic recovery."