Affiliate Matthew Grennan Testifies on Behalf of DOJ in Criminal Price-Gouging Conviction Involving the Illegal Mark-up of N95 Respirator Masks

August 14, 2023

Analysis Group was retained on behalf of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in United States of America v. Krikor Topouzian, a criminal prosecution charging an individual with a violation of the Defense Production Act, an executive order issued in March 2020 prohibiting hoarding and price gouging involving certain scarce medical supplies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The defendant was alleged to have willfully accumulated N95 respirator masks for the purpose of resale at prices in excess of prevailing market prices.

An Analysis Group team led by Vice President David Toniatti, along with Director of Data Science Maxime Leroux and Managing Principal Dov Rothman, supported affiliated expert Matthew Grennan (University of California, Berkeley). Professor Grennan, an expert in health care and industrial organization economics, provided testimony based on his analysis of retailer pricing data and the defendant’s pricing of N95 respirator masks.

A judge in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found the defendant guilty in a bench trial, extensively citing Professor Grennan’s testimony and analyses.