Source: https://stg.justice.gov/atr/case-document/plea-agreement-chieng-hon-frank-lin
Timestamp: 2019-03-23 13:00:34
Document Index: 190413067

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 3742', '§ 2241', '§ 3742', '§ 1', '§ 3142', '§5', '§ 3663', '§ 3553', '§ 3553', '§ 5', '§ 3013', '§ 5', '§ 5', '§ 1621', '§ 1623', '§ 401', '§ 1503']

Plea Agreement as to Chieng-Hon "Frank" Lin | ATR | Department of Justice
Plea Agreement as to Chieng-Hon "Frank" Lin
Case No. CR 09-0045 SI
The United States of America and Chieng-Hon "Frank" Lin ("defendant") hereby enter into the following Plea Agreement pursuant to Rule 11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure ("Fed. R. Crim. P."):
as a citizen of the United States and a permanent resident of Taiwan, Republic of China and holder of a Taiwan passport, to decline to accept service of the Summons in this case, and to contest the jurisdiction of the United States to prosecute this case against him in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California;
2.	The defendant knowingly and voluntarily waives the rights set out in Paragraph 1(b)-(h) above, including all jurisdictional defenses to the prosecution of this case, and agrees voluntarily to consent to the jurisdiction of the United States to prosecute this case against him in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The defendant also knowingly and voluntarily waives the right to file any appeal, any collateral attack, or any other writ or motion, including but not limited to an appeal under 18 U.S.C. § 3742 or a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 or 2255, that challenges the sentence imposed by the Court if that sentence is consistent with or below the recommended sentence in Paragraph 8 of this Plea Agreement, regardless of how the sentence is determined by the Court. This agreement does not affect the rights or obligations of the United States as set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3742(b) and (c). Nothing in this paragraph, however, shall act as a bar to the defendant perfecting any legal remedies he may otherwise have on appeal or collateral attack respecting claims of ineffective assistance of counsel or prosecutorial misconduct. Pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(b), the defendant will waive indictment and plead guilty at arraignment to a one-count Information to be filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Information will charge that beginning on or about September 14, 2001, and continuing until on or about December 1, 2006, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. ("Chunghwa") and co-conspirators participated in a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display panels ("TFT-LCD") sold in the United States and elsewhere, in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. The Information will further charge that the defendant, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chunghwa, joined and participated in the charged conspiracy from on or about June 11, 2003 to December 1, 2006.
3.	The defendant, pursuant to the terms of this Plea Agreement, will plead guilty to the criminal charge described in Paragraph 2, above, and will make a factual admission of guilt to the Court in accordance with Fed. R. Crim. P. 11, as set forth in Paragraph 4, below. The United States agrees that at the arraignment, it will stipulate to the release of the defendant on his personal recognizance, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3142, pending the sentencing hearing in this case.
For purposes of this Plea Agreement, the "relevant period" is that period from on or about June 11, 2003, to on or about December 1, 2006. During the relevant period, the defendant was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chunghwa, an entity organized and existing under the laws of Taiwan, Republic of China, and with its principal place of business in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. During the relevant period, Chunghwa was a producer of TFT-LCD and was engaged in the sale of TFT-LCD in the United States and elsewhere. TFT-LCD are glass panels composed of an array of tiny pixels that are electronically manipulated in order to display images. TFT-LCD are manufactured in a broad range of sizes and specifications for use in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, mobile devices, and other applications.
During the relevant period, the defendant participated in a conspiracy with other persons and entities engaged in the manufacture and sale of TFT-LCD, the primary purpose of which was to fix the price of TFT-LCD sold in the United States and elsewhere. In furtherance of the conspiracy, the defendant was aware of the existence of the conspiracy among the employees and officers of Chunghwa, and that these employees and officers were engaged in conversations and attended meetings, including group meetings commonly referred to by the participants as "crystal meetings," with representatives of other major TFT-LCD producing firms. The defendant was also aware that during such meetings and conversations, agreements were reached to fix the price of TFT-LCD to be sold in the United States and elsewhere. The defendant knowingly authorized and consented to the participation of one or more of his subordinate employees in that conspiracy. The defendant was a manager or supervisor in the conspiracy, which involved at least five participants.
During the relevant period, TFT-LCD sold by one or more of the conspirator firms, and equipment and supplies necessary to the production and distribution of TFT-LCD, as well as payments for TFT-LCD, traveled in interstate and foreign commerce. The business activities of Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. and co-conspirators in connection with the production and sale of TFT-LCD affected by this conspiracy were within the flow of, and substantially affected, interstate and foreign trade and commerce.
Acts in furtherance of this conspiracy were carried out within the Northern District of California. TFT-LCD affected by this conspiracy were sold by one or more of the conspirators to customers in this District.
pursuant to U.S.S.G. §5 E1.1 or 18 U.S.C. § 3663(a)(3) or 3583(d), the Court may order him to pay restitution to the victims of the offense; and
7.	The defendant understands that the Sentencing Guidelines are advisory, not mandatory, but that the Court must consider the Guidelines in effect on the day of sentencing, along with the other factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), in determining and imposing sentence. The defendant understands that the Guidelines determinations will be made by the Court by a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard. The defendant understands that although the Court is not ultimately bound to impose a sentence within the applicable Guidelines range, its sentence must be reasonable, based upon consideration of all relevant sentencing factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a).
8. Pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(c)(1)(C), the United States and the defendant agree that the appropriate disposition of this case is, and agree to recommend jointly that the Court impose, a sentence requiring the defendant to pay to the United States a criminal fine of $50,000 payable in full before the fifteenth (15th) day after the date of judgment; a period of imprisonment of 270 days; no order of restitution; and no period of supervised release ("the recommended sentence"). The defendant agrees that he will not request that he be allowed to serve any part of his sentence in home detention, intermittent confinement, or community confinement. The United States will not object to the defendant's request that the Court make a recommendation to the Bureau of Prisons that the Bureau of Prisons designate that the defendant be assigned to a Federal Minimum Security Camp (and specifically to the Lompoc Prison Camp in Lompoc, California) to serve his sentence and that the defendant be released following the imposition of sentence to allow him to self-surrender to the assigned prison facility on a specified date. The parties agree that there exists no aggravating or mitigating circumstance of a kind, or to a degree, not adequately taken into consideration by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in formulating the Sentencing Guidelines justifying a departure pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5K2.0. The parties agree not to seek or support any sentence other than the recommended sentence set forth in this Paragraph 8. The parties further agree that the recommended sentence set forth in this Plea Agreement is reasonable. The defendant understands that the Court will order him to pay a $100 special assessment pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3013(a)(2)(A) in addition to any fine imposed.
9.	The United States and the defendant agree that, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5E1.1(b), defendant should not be ordered to pay restitution in light of the civil cases filed against Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd., defendant's former employer, including In re TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, No. M-07-1827 SI, consolidated in the United States District Court, Northern District of California, which potentially provide for a recovery of a multiple of actual damages.
10.	The United States and the defendant agree that the applicable Guidelines fine and imprisonment ranges exceed the fine and term of imprisonment contained in the recommended sentence set out in Paragraph 8 above. Subject to the full and continuing cooperation of the defendant, as described in Paragraph 13 of this Plea Agreement, and prior to sentencing in this case, the United States agrees that it will make a motion, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1, for a downward departure from the Guidelines fine and imprisonment range(s) in this case and will request that the Court impose the fine and term of imprisonment contained in the recommended sentence set out in Paragraph 8 of this Plea Agreement because of the defendant's substantial assistance in the government's investigation and prosecutions of violations of federal criminal law in the TFT-LCD industry and other display industries.
If the Court does not accept the recommended sentence, the defendant will be free to withdraw his guilty plea (Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(c)(5) and (d)). If the defendant withdraws his plea of guilty, this Plea Agreement, the guilty plea, and any statement made in the course of any proceedings under Fed. R. Crim. P. 11 regarding the guilty plea or this Plea Agreement or made in the course of plea discussions with an attorney for the government shall not be admissible against the defendant in any criminal or civil proceeding, except as otherwise provided in Fed. R. Evid. 410. In addition, the defendant agrees that, if he withdraws his guilty plea pursuant to this subparagraph of the Plea Agreement, the statute of limitations period for any Relevant Offense, as defined in Paragraph 14 below, will be tolled for the period between the date of the signing of the Plea Agreement and the date the defendant withdrew his guilty plea or for a period of sixty (60) days after the date of the signing of the Plea Agreement, whichever period is greater. For a period of three (3) consecutive days following such a withdrawal of the guilty plea under this subparagraph, the United States shall take no action, based upon either a Relevant Offense or any actual or alleged violation of the Plea Agreement, to revoke the defendant's release on his personal recognizance, to subject the defendant to service of process, arrest, or detention, or to prevent the defendant from departing the United States.
when called upon to do so by the United States in connection with any Federal Proceeding, testifying in grand jury, trial, and other judicial proceedings in the United States fully, truthfully, and under oath, subject to the penalties of perjury (18 U.S.C. § 1621), making false statements or declarations in grand jury or court proceedings (18 U.S.C. § 1623), contempt (18 U.S.C. §§ 401 - 402), and obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. § 1503, et seq.).
16.	The defendant understands that he may be subject to administrative action by federal or state agencies other than the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, based upon the conviction resulting from this Plea Agreement, and that this Plea Agreement in no way controls whatever action, if any, other agencies may take. However, the United States agrees that, if requested, it will advise the appropriate officials of any governmental agency considering such administrative action of the fact, manner, and extent of the cooperation of the defendant as a matter for that agency to consider before determining what administrative action, if any, to take.
19.	The defendant agrees that, should the United States determine in good faith, during the period that any Federal Proceeding is pending, that the defendant has failed to provide full and truthful cooperation, as described in Paragraph 13 of this Plea Agreement, or has otherwise violated any provision of this Plea Agreement, the United States will notify the defendant or his counsel in writing by personal or overnight delivery or facsimile transmission and may also notify his counsel by telephone of its intention to void any of its obligations under this Plea Agreement (except its obligations under this paragraph), and the defendant shall be subject to prosecution for any federal crime of which the United States has knowledge. The defendant may seek Court review of any determination made by the United States under this Paragraph to void any of its obligations under the Plea Agreement. The defendant agrees that, in the event that the United States is released from its obligations under this Plea Agreement and brings criminal charges against the defendant for any Relevant Offense, the statute of limitations period for such offense will be tolled for the period between the date of the signing of this Plea Agreement and six (6) months after the date the United States gave notice of its intent to void its obligations under this Plea Agreement.
20.	The defendant understands and agrees that in any further prosecution of him resulting from the release of the United States from its obligations under this Plea Agreement based on the defendant's violation of the Plea Agreement, any documents, statements, information, testimony, or evidence provided by him to attorneys or agents of the United States, federal grand juries, or courts, and any leads derived therefrom, may be used against him in any such further prosecution. In addition, the defendant unconditionally waives his right to challenge the use of such evidence in any such further prosecution, notwithstanding the protections of Fed. R. Evid. 410.
21.	The defendant agrees to and adopts as his own the factual statement contained in Paragraph 4, above. In the event that the defendant breaches the Plea Agreement, the defendant agrees that the Plea Agreement, including the factual statement contained in Paragraph 4, above, provides a sufficient basis for any possible future extradition request that may be made for his return to the United States to face charges either in the Information referenced in Paragraph 2 of this Plea Agreement or in any related indictment. The defendant further agrees not to oppose or contest any request for extradition by the United States to face charges either in the Information referenced in Paragraph 2 of this Plea Agreement or in any related indictment.
DATED: January 12, 2009 Respectfully submitted,
Chieng-Hon "Frank" Lin
Washington, D.C. 20006-4700 BY:_______________/s/________________
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