KKR & Co. agreed to a record $250 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. This civil penalty resolves allegations that the firm repeatedly violated premerger antitrust review laws. It represents the largest fine ever issued for violations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act.
The Justice Department claimed KKR failed to provide accurate filings for at least 16 transactions between 2021 and 2022. Allegations included altering documents and systematically omitting required information. In some instances, the firm failed to make any HSR filings at all.
The penalty is more than 20 times larger than any previous HSR fine. This settlement signals a significantly tougher enforcement stance by federal regulators.