Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, AGENCY NEWS: Former FTC Chair Janet Steiger named recipient of 2014 Kirkpatrick Award, (Apr 17, 2014)

FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez has named former FTC Chairman Janet Dempsey Steiger the 2014 recipient of the Miles W. Kirkpatrick Award for Lifetime FTC Achievement, honoring her steadfast commitment to public service and her many significant contributions to the agency.

At the request of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton, Steiger, who passed away in 2004, served as Commissioner and Chairman of the Postal Rate Commission, Chairman of the FTC from August 1989 to April 1995, and Commissioner of the agency until September 1997.

Among her major accomplishments as FTC Chairman, Steiger obtained congressional reauthorization of the agency in 1994. Under her leadership, the FTC, jointly with the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, issued several groundbreaking policy statements, including the 1992 DOJ/FTC Horizontal Merger Guidelines, the 1994 DOJ/FTC Statements of Antitrust Enforcement Policy in Healthcare, and the 1995 DOJ/FTC Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property. Steiger also began the FTC’s international program to protect consumers and promote competition around the world.

“Chairman Steiger was an extraordinary public servant who provided inspiring leadership during her tenure at the FTC,” Ramirez said in a statement released today. “As the first woman to lead the FTC, she reinvigorated the agency’s law enforcement, developed its international advisory role, and fostered deep working relationships with state enforcers. And above all, she created an esprit de corps that has made the FTC not just a workplace but a community.”

The Kirkpatrick Award was established in 2001 to honor the commitment and talent of individuals who have made lasting and significant contributions to the FTC throughout their public and private careers. It is named after former Chairman Miles Kirkpatrick, who is noted for his distinguished legal career and leadership advocating for FTC revitalization and reform. Previous recipients of the award include Basil J. Mezines, Robert Pitofsky, Jodie Bernstein, Caswell O. Hobbs, III, Calvin J. Collier, Thomas B. Leary, Mary Gardiner Jones, Timothy J. Muris, and William E. Kovacic.

Criminal Liaison Unit Award to Assistant U.S. Attorneys. In other news, the FTC announced today that the agency is honoring Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hallie Mitchell Hoffman and Kyle F. Waldinger with its Criminal Liaison Unit’s Prosecuting Attorney’s Award for their work in combatting consumer fraud. The Criminal Liaison Unit (CLU) presents the award annually to one or more prosecuting attorneys who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to consumer protection in partnership with the FTC.

Hoffman and Waldinger were the lead prosecutors in a complaint against brothers Roy Lin and John Lin and their related companies. The FTC previously took action against the Lins and their companies, alleging that they had placed tens of millions of unwanted and unauthorized charges on consumers’ telephone bill, a process known as “cramming.” The case, (FTC v. Inc21.com Corporation, File No. 92-3171), resulted in a permanent injunction against the defendants, a $37.9 million judgment and the return of more than $5.4 million to consumers and businesses who were victimized by the scam.

In March 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California indicted Roy Lin and John Lin on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, six counts of mail fraud, and three counts of money laundering. Due to the hard work and tremendous efforts of the prosecutors, and in cooperation with the FTC, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service, both Roy Lin and John Lin subsequently pleaded guilty and received sentences of 30 months and 20 months respectively for their roles.

At an awards ceremony held in San Francisco, FTC Associate Director James Kohm said, “This award honors the dedication and diligence of Hallie Mitchell Hoffman and Kyle F. Waldinger in protecting American consumers. Prosecutors like them are essential in bringing the worst fraudsters to justice.”

News: Antitrust ConsumerProtection FederalTradeCommissionNews