Nine Japanese companies and two executives have agreed to plead guilty and pay over $740 million in criminal fines for their roles in separate conspiracies to fix prices of auto parts products. According to Attorney General Eric Holder, these conspiracies have affected more than $5 billion in automobile parts sold to U.S. car manufacturers and more than 25 million cars purchased by American consumers. The Department of Justice (DOJ) vowed to continue the crackdown on such cartel behavior. As of September 27, 2013, 20 companies and 21 executives have been charged in the DOJ’s ongoing investigation. All 20 companies have pled guilty or agreed to plead guilty and pay more than $1.6 billion in criminal fines. CollisionWeek (subscription required) (September 27, 2013); The Columbus Dispatch (October 8, 2013).
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