A federal grand jury returned an indictment against one company and four individuals for their alleged roles in a long-running conspiracy to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets for ready-mix concrete in the greater Savannah, Georgia area, the Department of Justice announced Thursday, September 3, 2020.
The indictment, returned in the US District Court in Savannah, charges Evans Concrete, James Clayton Pedrick; Gregory Hall Melton; John “David” Melton; and Timothy “Bo” Strickland with conspiring to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets for the sale of ready-mix concrete used in residential, commercial, and public projects. Pedrick is also charged with making false statements, and Strickland is charged with making false statements and perjury.
“The charges continue the division’s efforts to prosecute those who cheat the American consumer by driving up prices of the building blocks of commercial enterprise in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “With support from our law enforcement partners, the Antitrust Division will hold accountable anyone who cheats the system by depriving customers of competitive pricing, as well as individuals who lie to investigating agents.”
“Activities related to illegal price-fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation do not promote an environment conducive to open competition. When this occurs, the consumer is not guaranteed the best products at the lowest prices,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven Stuller, US Postal Service Office of Inspector General. “The U.S. Postal Service spends hundreds of millions of dollars on new construction, maintenance, and renovation of US Postal Service facilities that require concrete and other construction materials. Along with the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners, the USPS Office of Inspector General will aggressively investigate those who would engage in this type of harmful conduct.”
Full Content: Clatxon Enterprise
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