Miami, Florida - Roberto Dip and Jason Handal pleaded guilty Friday in Miami, Florida, for their roles in orchestrating a nationwide conspiracy to fix prices for international freight forwarding services, marking the first convictions in this investigation, the Department of Justice announced.
Dip and Handal were charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana on October 16, 2018, and the case was later transferred to the Southern District of Florida, where Dip and Handal entered their guilty pleas. Dip, a citizen of Honduras, is the president and CEO of a Louisiana-based freight forwarding company, and Handal, a U.S. citizen, is the company’s manager. The pair conspired with their competitors to fix the prices for freight forwarding services provided in the United States and elsewhere from at least as early as September 2010 until at least March 2015. In addition to their guilty pleas, Dip and Handal have agreed to pay a criminal fine and cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
“Through these plea agreements, the Antitrust Division and the FBI hold accountable two senior executives who conspired to cheat American customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to prosecute individuals who target consumers in vital international industries.”
Freight forwarders arrange for and manage the shipment of goods, including by receiving, packaging, and otherwise preparing cargo destined for international ocean shipment.
The ongoing investigation into price fixing in the international freight forwarding industry is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal I Section, the FBI’s International Corruption Unit, and the FBI’s New Orleans Division.