Antitrust Criminal Investigative Improvements Act of 2005

The Antitrust Criminal Investigative Improvements Act of 2005 (S. 443) would expand the authority of federal law enforcement to use wiretaps and other forms of electronic surveillance when investigating major antitrust violations. Specifically, it adds crimes such as illegal monopolies and price-fixing to the list of offenses that allow investigators to seek a court order for intercepting wire or oral communications. For citizens, this means federal agencies would have more tools to detect and prosecute corporate conspiracies that artificially inflate prices or stifle competition in the marketplace.