Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, TOP STORY: Experienced trial attorney to head up criminal enforcement at Antitrust Division, (Nov 26, 2013)
Organizations Mentioned:AU Optronics Corp. | Gibson Dunn | New York Office | Paul Hastings, LLP | Perkins Coie, LLP
By Jeffrey May, J.D.
Brent Snyder began heading up criminal enforcement at the Department of Justice Antitrust Division today. He was named deputy assistant attorney general for criminal enforcement following the departure of Scott Hammond.
Snyder has been at the Antitrust Division since 2003. Most recently, he served as a trial attorney in the San Francisco Field Office.
Over the years, Snyder has received numerous awards while at the Justice Department and has been involved in a number of high-profile cases. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency Award of Excellence, and the Antitrust Division Award of Distinction.
Among his most recent enforcement efforts, Snyder worked on a price fixing probe into shipping companies that provide services between the United States and Puerto Rico. Snyder was a lead player on a trial team that secured the conviction of a former executive of Florida-based coastal shipping company Sea Star Line, LLC, who was charged in the conspiracy.
Snyder also played a role in the government’s landmark case against AU Optronics Corporation. Last year, the Taiwan-based liquid crystal display (LCD) producer was ordered to pay a record-tying $500 million fine for its participation in a five-year conspiracy to fix the prices of thin-film transistor LCD panels.
In addition, Snyder assisted in the prosecution of major international airlines for conspiring to fix prices for air cargo rates. The probe netted over a billion dollars in fines from the airlines and lengthy prison terms for industry executives. The investigation is often hailed as an example of effective international cooperation among antitrust enforcement agencies.
Before working at the Justice Department, Snyder was an attorney in private practice. After clerking for Judge Alan C. Kay of the federal district court in Honolulu, he spent three years at Paul Hastings in Los Angeles and six years at Perkins Coie in Seattle, where he was a partner. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Snyder fills the vacancy created by the departure of Scott Hammond. Hammond recently left the Antitrust Division after 25 years of service. He joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office, the law firm announced earlier this month.
Field Office Chiefs. In other Antitrust Division personnel news, in January, Marc Siegel will become the new chief of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Field Office, and Jeffrey Martino will take over as the Chief of the New York Field Office. Siegel is currently serving as acting chief for the New York Office. He will take the helm of the San Francisco office upon the retirement of Phillip H. Warren.
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