Norway auto shipper Höegh to pay $21 million fine in U.S. price-fixing case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday a Norwegian company involved in the vehicle shipping business has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $21 million criminal fine for its involvement in a price-fixing scheme.
The department said in a statement that Höegh Autoliners "conspired with competitors to suppress and eliminate competition by allocating customers and routes, rigging bids, and fixing prices for the sale of international ocean shipments of roll-on, roll-off cargo," from as early as January 2001 until at least September 2012.
It said that Höegh is the fifth company to plead guilty in an FBI investigation into the case, bringing total criminal fines to over $255 million.
(Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by David Alexander)
