New York Ups the Antitrust Ante: Manhattan DA Announces New Corporate Crime and Antitrust Task Force

In this short piece, authors Luke Taeschler, Jared P. Nagley & Dana L. Kennedy (Sheppard) look at the Manhattan District Attorney’s October 14, 2026 announcement establishing a new Corporate Crime and Antitrust Task Force. The initiative signals an increased commitment to state-level antitrust enforcement, with investigations focused on corporate structures and actors enabling criminal activity, particularly in antitrust, healthcare fraud, and consumer fraud. Led by veteran prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos, the Task Force will comprise five Assistant District Attorneys and two investigators, including former DOJ Antitrust Division attorney Maia Lichtenstein.

The authors highlight the Task Force’s particular emphasis on labor market competition. Building on District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s 2023 creation of a Worker Protection Unit to prosecute wage theft, the new Task Force is expected to expand investigations into employer collusion and practices such as wage-fixing. Initial targets are likely to include healthcare, food service, and retail, industries identified as particularly vulnerable to anticompetitive conduct by employers.

Finally, the authors consider how the Task Force may coordinate with the New York Attorney General’s Antitrust Bureau, which already has substantial experience in competition enforcement. While the extent of this cooperation remains unclear, businesses operating in or connected to New York should take note of the new initiative and its expanded enforcement mandate as the state’s antitrust landscape continues to intensify…

CONTINUE READING…