4TH SHIPPING EXEC PLEADS GUILTY TO PRICE FIXING ON SHIPPING SERVICES FOR CARS, TRUCKS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Fourth Ocean Shipping Executive Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing on Ocean Shipping Services for Cars and Trucks

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 for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today.

According to the one-count felony charge filed in U.S. District Court of the District of Maryland in Baltimore on Jan. 22, 2015, Toru Otoda, who was a general 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 of roll-on, roll-off cargo to and from the United States and elsewhere, including the Port of Baltimore.  Otoda participated in the conspiracy from at least as early as November 2010 until at least September 2012.

Roll-on, roll-off cargo is non-containerized cargo that can be both rolled onto and off of an ocean-going vessel.  Examples of this cargo include new and used cars and trucks and construction and agricultural equipment.

“Today’s sentence reinforces our commitment to hold executives accountable for colluding to fix ocean freight prices,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.  “This investigation will continue as we seek to prosecute the executives who conspired and the companies that employed them.”

“Price fixing and bid rigging are crimes most people don’t see, but they have a direct impact on everyone’s wallet,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Vogt of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office.  “Our goal in the FBI is to expose the back room deals and secret handshakes, and to stop the culture in some businesses that allows these crimes to take place.”

Pursuant to the plea agreement, which the court accepted today, Otoda was sentenced to serve an 18-month prison term and pay a $20,000 criminal fine for his participation in the conspiracy.  In addition, Otoda has agreed to assist the department in its ongoing investigation into the ocean shipping industry.

Otoda was charged with a violation of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for an individual.  The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

Today’s sentence is the fourth against an individual in the division’s ocean shipping investigation, and the third against an individual from K-Line.  Three corporations have agreed to plead guilty and to pay criminal fines totaling more than $136 million, including K-Line, which was sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $67.7 million.

Today’s plea agreement is the result of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the international roll-on, roll-off ocean shipping industry, which is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal I Section and the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, along with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Internal Affairs, Washington Field Office/Special Investigations Unit.

RETAILER FACES OSHA FINES FOR VIOLATIONS INCLUDING BLOCKED EXITS

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT

Dollar General store allows blocked and locked exits, fire and other hazards, faces more than $83K in fines for repeated safety violations
Discount chain retailer has history of OSHA violations

BOWDON, Ga. — Dollar General Corp. has been cited again by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, this time for four repeated safety violations found in a December 2014 inspection of the Bowdon store at 203 Wedowee St. OSHA initiated the inspection after receiving a complaint and has proposed penalties of $83,050.

Dollar General stores around the country have received more than 40 citations after more than 70 OSHA inspections since 2009. The violations typically found include blocked exits and electrical panels and improperly maintained fire extinguishers.

"Dollar General has been repeatedly cited for blocked exits and electrical panels in stores around the country, but we continue to find these hazards. This appears to be an example of a corporation not sharing safety information with all its entities and employees," said Christi Griffin, director of OSHA's Atlanta-West Area Office. "The company needs to address these issues at its locations immediately."

Repeated citations were issued for the employer failing to ensure that exit doors were unlocked and exit routes and electrical access panels were not blocked by merchandise, display racks or supplies. Store management also failed to have portable fire extinguishers inspected annually.

A repeated violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. This employer was previously cited for these same violations in 2014 and 2010.

With headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General is a discount retailer with more than 100,000 employees nationwide. Workers are typically engaged in stocking shelves and selling merchandise.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.

PAYMENT PROCESSORS SETTLE CLAIMS RELATED TO PROCESSING UNAUTHORIZED CONSUMER CHARGES

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

Payment Processors Involved in I Works Scheme Settle FTC Charges

Order Includes Turnover of $1.3 Million in Cash and Assets

CardFlex Inc., an Independent Sales Organization (ISO), and its principals Andrew Phillips and John Blaugrund, have settled Federal Trade Commission charges that they illegally processed more than $26 million in unauthorized consumer charges on behalf of a company called I Works. The defendants are the last of seven individual and corporate defendants named in the FTC’s suit to settle.

“CardFlex helped scammers drain people’s credit and debit accounts without their permission,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This case shows that facilitating fraud is a bad strategy for payment processors.”

The stipulated court order settling the FTC’s charges ensures that the defendants will no longer process payments for merchants engaged in deceptive conduct. Specifically, the order prohibits CardFlex, Phillips, and Blaugrund from: 1) acting as a payment processor, ISO, or sales agent on behalf of several categories of merchants; and 2) assisting and facilitating clients’ attempts to evade credit card risk-monitoring programs.

In addition, the defendants must screen prospective clients that meet certain criteria, monitor the sales activity of current clients to detect indications of deceptive conduct, and terminate contracts with those engaged in deceptive conduct.

The order also imposes a $3.3 million monetary judgment against CardFlex and Phillips that will be partially suspended based on their current financial condition. Phillips will pay $150,000 and turn over personal assets, including nearly $1.2 million worth of jewelry that the FTC will sell at auction. However, the full judgment will become due, if it is later discovered that the defendants misrepresented their financial condition to the Commission.

Case Background

According to the FTC’s July 2014 complaint, the defendants arranged for a deceptive operation known as I Works to obtain and maintain merchant accounts that allowed it to process illegal credit and debit card payments through the Visa and MasterCard payment networks. The FTC has charged I Works with scamming consumers out of more than $275 million via deceptive “trial” memberships for bogus government-grant and money-making schemes.

The 2014 complaint charged the defendants – CardFlex, Blaze Processing LLC, Mach 1 Merchanting LLC, Phillips, Blaugrund, Shane Fisher and Jeremy Livingston – illegally provided access to payment networks that I Works needed to carry out its deceptive scheme.

In its complaint, the FTC alleged that the defendants knew I Works had been placed on industry lists of high-risk merchants numerous times due to high chargeback rates. Still, the defendants provided I Works with full access to payment networks and did not engage in required underwriting processes when they opened I Works accounts.

The FTC further alleged the defendants helped I Works evade the credit card networks’ fraud monitoring programs to help keep the company’s merchant accounts open. The CardFlex defendants opened nearly 300 accounts in the names of shell corporations on I Works’ behalf, and implemented a system that enabled I Works to divide its sales transactions between 30 separate accounts to avoid reaching the level that they would be monitored by the credit card networks.

Prior Court Settlements

At the same time the FTC filed the complaint in the case, it announced the settlement with Blaze Processing, Mach 1 Merchanting, and Shane Fisher. The stipulated final order against these three defendants prohibits each from acting as a payment processor, ISO, or sales agent for any third parties. The order also contains a $328,607.78 judgment against Fisher, and more than $650,000 in judgments against Blaze Processing and Mach 1. The FTC has collected the judgment against Fisher, while the judgments against Blaze Processing and Mach 1 have been suspended due to an inability to pay.

In January 2015, defendant Jeremy Livingston also stipulated to a court order settling the FTC’s charges against him in this matter. The order against Livingston prohibits him from acting as a payment processor, ISO, or sales agent for third parties. It contains a monetary judgment of $328,467.23, which has been suspended due to his inability to pay. However, the full judgment will become due, if it is later discovered that Livingston misrepresented his financial condition to the Commission.

The Commission vote approving the stipulated final order against defendants CardFlex, Inc.; Andrew Phillips; and John Blaugrund was 4-0-1, with Commissioner Terrell McSweeney not participating. It was filed in the U.S. District Court of the District of Nevada.

NOTE: Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

CONSTRUCTION COMPANY CITED RELATING TO TRENCHING HAZARDS

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT 

Construction Workers' Exposure to Trenching Hazards 'Can be Fatal'

SER Construction Partners Ltd. of Pasadena, Texas, was cited for one repeated and two serious violations for letting employees work amid trenching hazards at a Houston construction site. A repeated violation was issued for not providing adequate cave-in protection such as sloping, benching or a protective shield system. In August 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for similar violations. The serious violations include failure to provide a safe egress from the trench and prevent water accumulation. Proposed penalties total $79,900. "Exposing workers to trenching hazards without adequate protections can be fatal," said Josh Flesher, OSHA's acting area director in the Houston North office. "OSHA's standards must be followed to prevent workers from being injured."

Enhancing Oversight of Our Equities and Options Markets

Enhancing Oversight of Our Equities and Options Markets

ENGINE MAKER TO PAY $1.2 MILLION TO RESOLVE ALLEGED CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

MTU America Inc., Agrees to $1.2 Million Penalty and Auditing Program to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

MTU America Inc. (MTU), a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, will implement an auditing program to ensure proper emissions testing and compliance with federal emission standards for its heavy-duty diesel non-road engines as part of a settlement to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

The complaint filed with the settlement alleges that MTU violated the Clean Air Act by selling 895 non-road, heavy-duty diesel engines, which are used in mining, marine and power generation vehicles and equipment, without valid certificates of conformity.  EPA voided the certificates of conformity purporting to cover the engines based on improper emissions testing by MTU employees.  Under the settlement, MTU will pay a $1.2 million penalty and perform annual audits of its engine emission testing and certification activities for three years.  The audits will be conducted by an EPA-approved, third-party auditor that will monitor and evaluate compliance with Clean Air Act requirements for testing, certification, record-keeping and reporting.  MTU is also required to initiate corrective actions if the audit reveals non-compliance.

“Certificates of conformity are a critical part of EPA’s program to ensure that vehicles and engines meet Clean Air Act emissions standards,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “Companies that skirt the rules in their certification testing hurt the public and their competitors.  Today’s settlement ensures that the company will adequately monitor the activities of employees involved in the certification process to prevent this kind of conduct from recurring.”

“Engines that aren’t properly certified can emit toxic pollution that aggravates asthma and other respiratory illnesses,” said Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.  “This agreement requires that MTU take important steps to comply with the law, protect the public and reduce smog in our air.”

Every engine sold in or imported into the U.S. must be covered by a valid EPA-issued certificate of conformity.  When applying for a certificate of conformity, an applicant must certify to EPA that it followed appropriate testing, certification, record-keeping and reporting requirements to ensure its products will meet applicable federal emission standards to control air pollution.  Engines operating without proper emissions controls can emit excess carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory illness, aggravate asthma and contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone or smog.

Through information disclosed by the company, EPA discovered that MTU had obtained EPA certificates of conformity without conducting valid testing.  EPA learned that MTU had installed a catalytic converter onto its prototype engine during testing to reduce emissions of pollutants.  MTU had also performed maintenance during durability testing on the same engine, but had not reported this to EPA, a violation of testing regulations.

Selling or importing engines that are not covered by valid certificates of conformity is a violation of the Clean Air Act.  Based on MTU’s disclosures, EPA voided the certificates of conformity covering these engines on Feb. 23, 2015.  MTU violated the Clean Air Act by selling and importing the engines, which, because of the voiding, were not covered by a valid certificate of conformity as required by law.  MTU has worked with EPA to take steps to prevent these violations from occurring in the future.

This settlement is part of an ongoing effort by EPA to ensure that all vehicles and engines meet federal emission limits for harmful pollution.  The Clean Air Act requires that all vehicles have EPA-issued certificates of conformity prior to being imported or sold in the U.S. to demonstrate that they meet federal emission standards.

MTU America Inc. based in Novi, Michigan, and formerly known as Tognum America Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, a German corporation. MTU manufactures non-road, off-highway engines for the North American market for locomotive, marine, construction and defense uses.

DOJ, NY AG ANNOUNCE ANTITRUST SETTLEMENT WITH JOINT VENTURE BUS COMPANIES IN NEW YORK CITY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, March 16, 2015

Justice Department and New York Attorney General Secure Settlement with New York City Tour Bus Joint Venture

The Department of Justice and New York State Attorney General announced that they have reached a settlement with Coach USA Inc., City Sights LLC and their joint venture, Twin America LLC, to remedy competitive concerns in the New York City hop-on, hop-off bus tour market.  The settlement requires the defendants to relinquish all of City Sights’ Manhattan bus stop authorizations and disgorge $7.5 million in ill-gotten profits that the defendants obtained by operating Twin America in violation of the antitrust laws.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed on Dec. 11, 2012, in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York alleging that the March 2009 formation of Twin America violated the antitrust laws and resulted in higher prices for hop-on, hop-off bus tours in New York City.  Trial had been set for Feb. 23, 2015 before the parties adjourned the trial date to facilitate settlement discussions.  Today’s settlement, if approved by the court, would resolve the claims alleged in the complaint filed in this case.

“The formation of Twin America gave Coach and City Sights an unlawful monopoly over the New York City hop-on, hop-off bus tour market and allowed them to immediately increase prices to consumers,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.  “As a result of the joint efforts of the Antitrust Division and the New York Attorney General, Coach and City Sights will forfeit key bus stop authorizations throughout Manhattan to restore competition and surrender illegal profits they obtained from violating the antitrust laws.”

“By eliminating the competition between them, the largest operators of New York City’s iconic double-decker tour buses were able to raise prices and deprive city visitors of the benefits of a free and fair market,” said New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.  “This settlement allows competition to thrive once again, and ensures that these companies did not profit from operating an unlawful and anticompetitive joint venture.  I thank the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division for partnering with my office to achieve this resolution for consumers in New York.”

As alleged in the complaint, prior to the formation of Twin America, Coach, the long-standing market leader through its “Gray Line New York” brand, and City Sights, a firm that launched the “CitySights NY” brand in 2005, accounted for approximately 99 percent of the hop-on, hop-off bus tour market in New York City.  Between 2005 and early 2009, the two companies engaged in vigorous head-to-head competition on price and product offerings that directly benefited consumers.

The formation of Twin America ended competition between Coach and City Sights and enabled them to increase hop-on, hop-off bus tour prices by approximately 10 percent.  According to the complaint, Coach and its corporate parent, Stagecoach Group PLC, had long assumed that combining with Coach’s only meaningful competitor would allow the merged firm to raise prices and communicated this assumption to City Sights during joint venture negotiations.  In early 2009, over a period of approximately two months, Coach and City Sights implemented the price increases and executed the joint venture.  The joint venture continues to operate both the Gray Line New York and CitySights NY brands today.

For more than three years following Twin America’s formation, there was no new entry or expansion in the market, and Coach and City Sights sustained the 2009 price increases.  Although some firms have entered since 2012, they have been unable to obtain bus stop authorizations from the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) at or sufficiently close to top attractions and neighborhoods to meaningfully compete with Twin America.  NYCDOT is the city agency in charge of managing bus stop authorizations, which are required for hop-on, hop-off operators to load and unload passengers.  Both Coach and City Sights hold large portfolios of bus stop authorizations covering virtually all of Manhattan’s key attractions that the firms received from the NYCDOT years ago before many locations were at capacity.  The formation of Twin America gave them a dominant share of the competitively-meaningful bus stop authorizations in Manhattan.

The proposed settlement requires Twin America to divest all of City Sights’ Manhattan bus stop authorizations by relinquishing them to the NYCDOT.  The relinquished bus stop authorizations include highly-coveted locations such as the areas surrounding Times Square, the Empire State Building and Battery Park, where rival firms have been chronically unable to obtain competitive bus stop authorizations.  By increasing the NYCDOT’s inventory of bus stops and freeing up capacity at approximately 50 locations throughout Manhattan, the settlement will significantly ease the most intractable barrier to rivals being able to meaningfully compete with Twin America.  The defendants will continue to hold Gray Line New York’s bus stop authorizations for their own hop-on, hop-off service.

The settlement also requires the defendants to disgorge $7.5 million in profits they obtained from the operation of their illegal joint venture.  This amount is in addition to $19 million that the defendants had already agreed to pay to a class of consumers to settle related private litigation brought after the filing of the government’s complaint.  The United States and the New York Attorney General determined that the defendants earned profits in excess of $19 million from their unlawful monopoly and that disgorgement was particularly appropriate on the facts of this case – a consummated merger involving an anticompetitive price increase and deliberate attempts to evade antitrust enforcement.  The payment of $7.5 million in disgorgement will deprive the defendants of ill-gotten profits they retained even after the class settlement and deter future antitrust law violations.

In a separate but related filing, Coach USA has further agreed to reimburse the United States $250,000 in attorney’s fees and costs to resolve claims that the Coach defendants spoliated evidence and failed to meet their document preservation obligations.

The settlement of the lawsuit also requires Coach and Twin America to establish antitrust training programs and that the defendants provide the government with advance notice of any future acquisition in the New York City hop-on hop-off bus tour market that is not otherwise reportable under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the HSR Act).

Coach USA is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Paramus, New Jersey.  Coach offers scheduled bus routes, motorcoach tours, charters and city sightseeing tours in the United States and Canada.  Coach is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stagecoach Group PLC, a leading international public transport company based in the United Kingdom.

City Sights is a New York limited liability company with its principal place of business in New York City.  City Sights is part of the New York Airport Service group of companies, one of New York City’s largest operators of ground transportation, tour and sightseeing services for leisure and corporate markets.

Twin America is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal place of business in New York City.

As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with the department’s competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register.  Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement during a 60-day comment period to William H. Stallings, Chief, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 5th Street, N.W., Suite 8000, Washington, D.C. 20530.  At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York may enter the proposed final judgment upon finding that it is in the public interest.

BACKGROUND

The transaction forming Twin America was not required to be reported under the HSR Act, and the department did not learn about the joint venture until after its consummation.  The State of New York was similarly unaware of Twin America at the time of its formation, but began to investigate shortly thereafter and issued subpoenas in the summer of 2009.

After receiving the subpoenas, the defendants delayed the State of New York’s antitrust investigation by belatedly filing the transaction with the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) and asserting that the STB had exclusive jurisdiction.  The STB rejected the joint venture in early 2011 as not in the “public interest” and affirmed its ruling in early 2012, directing the defendants to either dissolve Twin America or terminate minimal interstate operations that provided the basis for STB jurisdiction.  The defendants chose the latter, which removed the matter from STB jurisdiction but did nothing to address the joint venture’s anticompetitive effects in New York City.  The department and New York State Attorney General’s lawsuit followed in December 2012.