US Justice Department indicts current, former Bridgestone executives
The US Justice Department indicted one Bridgestone Corporation executive and two former officials for conspiring to fix the prices of certain automotive parts, reports Tire Review. Bridgestone itself agreed in February to plead guilty to price-fixing, paying a $425 million criminal fine. The case involves anti-vibration parts used in automotive suspension systems and engine mounts.
Japanese nationals Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Yasuo Ryuto and Isao Yoshida were indicted in a court in Ohio for allegedly fixing the prices of parts sold to Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Corp., Suzuki Motor Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., which makes Subaru cars, the department said. Tanaka works for Bridgestone while Ryuto and Yoshida are no longer with the company. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, it added.
Including Bridgestone, 26 companies have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the department’s long-running investigation of price-fixing in the auto parts industry. Thirty-two people have been charged. The case is at the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and is the United States of America v. Yasuo Ryuto, Yoshiyuki Tanaka and Isao Yoshida. It is case No. 14-138. Tire Review
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