Investigations

On January 4, 2021, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia charged Argos USA LLC with participating in a conspiracy to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets when selling ready-mix concrete in the coastal Georgia area. On the same date, Argos entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. The DPA required Argos to pay a $20 million penalty, admit to participating in the charged conspiracy, and agree to cooperate fully with the ongoing criminal investigation and prosecution of others involved in the conspiracy. Under the terms of the DPA, Argos agreed to maintain a compliance and ethics program designed to prevent and detect antitrust violations, conduct periodic reviews, and submit annual reports to the division regarding the remediation and implementation of its compliance program.

 

The criminal information alleges that from as early as 2010 until approximately 2016, Argos employees conspired with other entities engaged in the sale of ready-mix concrete to suppress and eliminate competition by agreeing to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Service-OIG, with substantial assistance from the Georgia Department of Transportation.