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US/Japan: Ocean shipping executive pleads guilty to price fixing

By  |  February 1, 2015

An executive of Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) pleaded guilty today and was sentenced to 18 months in a U.S. prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services, the DOJ announced onFriday.

According to the one-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore, Hiroshige Tanioka, who was at various times an assistant manager in K-Line’s car carrier division, conspired to allocate customers and routes, rig bids and fix prices for the sale of international ocean shipments.

According to the plea agreement, which was accepted by the court on Friday, Tanioka was sentenced to serve an 18-month prison term and pay a $20,000 criminal fine.

 

Full Content: US Department of Justice

 

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