The Antitrust Division's Leniency Program is its most important investigative tool for detecting cartel activity. Corporations and individuals who report their cartel activity and cooperate in the Division's investigation of the cartel reported can avoid criminal conviction, fines, and prison sentences if they meet the requirements of the program.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Antitrust Division's Leniency Program and Model Leniency Letters (November 19, 2008)

Leniency Policies

• Corporate Leniency Policy (08/10/1993)
• Individual Leniency Policy (08/10/1994)

Model Leniency Letters

• Model Corporate Conditional Leniency Letter (11/19/2008)
• Model Individual Conditional Leniency Letter (11/19/2008)
• Model Dual Investigations Leniency Letter (11/19/2008) used when the corporate leniency applicant is a subject, target, or defendant in another Antitrust Division investigation
• Model Dual Investigations Acknowledgement Letter for Employees (11/19/2008)

Leniency Applications

For details on making a leniency application, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

To make an application, contact the Division's Office of Criminal Enforcement (202-514-3543) or one of the following Division's criminal sections:

• Atlanta Field Office (404-331-7120)
• Chicago Field Office (312-353-7523)
• Cleveland Field Office (216-687-8400)
• Dallas Field Office (214-661-8619 or 214-661-8610)
• National Criminal Enforcement Section (202-307-1166)
• New York Field Office (212-264-0390)
• Philadelphia Field Office (215-597-7405)
• San Francisco Field Office (415-436-6677)

Leniency Policy Speeches

• "Recent Developments Relating to the Antitrust Division's Corporate Leniency Program" (03/05/2009)
• Scott Hammond on Stolt-Nielsen (05/01/2008)
• Cracking Cartels with Leniency Programs (10/18/2005)
• Cornerstones of an Effective Leniency Program (11/22/2004)
• The Modern Leniency Program After Ten Years - A Summary Overview of the Antitrust Division's Criminal Enforcement Program (08/12/2003)
• When Calculating the Costs and Benefits of Applying for Corporate Amnesty, How Do You Put a Price Tag on an Individual's Freedom? (03/08/2001)
• Detecting and Deterring Cartel Activity Through an Effective Leniency Program (11/21/2000)
• Fighting Cartels - Why and How?: Lessons Common to Detecting and Deterring Cartel Activity (09/12/2000)
• Making Companies an Offer They Shouldn't Refuse: The Antitrust Division's Corporate Leniency Policy — An Update (02/16/1999)
• The Corporate Leniency Policy: Answers to Some Recurring Questions (04/01/1998)