Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 30, 2010

Six International Freight Forwarding Companies Agree to Plead Guilty to Criminal Price-fixing Charges

Companies Agree to Pay a Total of $50.27 Million in Criminal Fines

WASHINGTON — Six international freight forwarders have agreed to plead guilty and to pay criminal fines totaling $50.27 million for their roles in several conspiracies to fix a variety of fees and charges in connection with the provision of freight forwarding services for international air cargo shipments, the Department of Justice announced today. These are the first charges filed as a result of the department’s antitrust investigation of the freight forwarding industry.

According to charges filed separately today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, six companies–EGL Inc., a Houston-based company; Kühne + Nagel International AG, based in Schindellegi, Switzerland (K+N); Geologistics International Management (Bermuda) Limited, based in Hamilton, Bermuda; Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd., based in Basel, Switzerland; Schenker AG, based in Essen, Germany; and BAX Global Inc., a Toledo, Ohio-based company–engaged in one or more separate conspiracies to impose certain charges or fees on customers purchasing international freight forwarding services for cargo freight destined for air shipment to the United States during various periods between 2002 and 2007.

Under the plea agreements, which are subject to court approval, the six companies have agreed to pay the following criminal fines: EGL, $4,486,120; K+N, $9,865,044; Geologistics, $687,960; Panalpina, $11,947,845; Schenker, $3,535,514; and BAX Global, $19,745,927. Each company has also agreed to cooperate with the department’s ongoing antitrust investigation.

Freight forwarders manage the domestic and international delivery of cargo for customers by receiving, packaging, preparing and warehousing cargo freight, arranging for cargo shipment through transportation providers such as air carriers and steamship lines, preparing shipment documentation, and providing related ancillary services.

“The department’s investigation uncovered six different conspiracies harming businesses and consumers in the United States and across the globe,â€