Mark Whitacre

Mark Whitacre (1964 - February 2002) was the key insider informant responsible for the 1996 conviction of the Archer Daniels Midland Company in a price fixing conspiracy centered on lysine, an animal feed additive.

It was, at the time, the largest case of its kind in U.S history. Convicted and sent to jail, Whitacre was diagnosed with a mild form of schizophrenia in prison, but refused medications or treatment. He committed suicide in prison in February of 2002.

External links

• ADM: WHO'S NEXT?, a MacNeil/Lehrer news report from the time
• "The Fix Is In", a RealAudio broadcast from This American Life: "No, free markets aren't free, professional wrestling is fake, and school elections are actually won by the most popular kids, not those who'd do the best job. For the latest, most dramatic example of these truths, we hear from New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald, whose book The Informant outlines how a shadowy cabal of men in suits actually sat down together around a table and set worldwide food prices (leading to the largest antitrust fine in U.S. history)."
• transom.org discussion about "The Fix Is In"
• excerpts from The Informant