On January 6, 2015, Makoto Horie of Toyoda Gosei North America pled guilty to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for conspiring to fix the prices of automotive hoses sold to U.S. companies.  Mr. Horie was sales general manager for Toyoda Gosei in Japan.  He will serve one year and one day in a U.S. prison and pay a $20,000 criminal fine for participating in the conspiracy between March 2007 and September 2010.

Toyoda Gosei pled guilty in September 2014 to price-fixing and bid-rigging for automotive hoses, airbags and steering wheels.  Unlike Toyoda Gosei’s plea agreement, Mr. Horie’s Information did not allege any wrongdoing related to automotive airbags or steering wheels.  Including Mr. Horie and his former employer, 29 individuals and 32 companies have now admitted guilt to the DOJ.  These individuals and entities have agreed to pay over $2.4 billion in fines.

Mr. Horie’s plea agreement is subject to approval by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.