Source: https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/plea-agreement-175
Timestamp: 2018-01-18 05:40:14
Document Index: 595213048

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 3742', '§ 2241', '§ 3742', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 3571', '§ 3559', '§ 3583', '§5', '§ 3013', '§5', '§ 3013', '§5', '§5', '§ 1621', '§ 1623', '§ 401', '§ 1503']

POLO SHU-SHENG HSU,
Filed:	03/30/2011
The United States of America and Polo Shu-Sheng Hsu ("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."):
2.	The defendant knowingly and voluntarily waives the rights set out in Paragraph 1(b)-(g) above. 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. ï½§ 3742 or a motion under 28 U.S.C. ï½§ 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. ï½§ 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 at arraignment and plead guilty to a one-count Information to be filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Information will charge the defendant with participating in a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices of aftermarket automotive lighting equipment (hereinafter "aftermarket auto lights") sold in the United States and elsewhere, from on or about April 2000, to on or about September 3, 2008, in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. ï½§ 1.
For purposes of this Plea Agreement, the "relevant period" is that period from on or about April 2000, to on or about September 3, 2008. During the relevant period, the defendant was an officer or employee of Company A, an entity organized and existing under the laws of California. From April 2000 to July 2000, the defendant was a Product Researcher, and from July 2000 to October 2010, the defendant served as President and Chief Executive Officer. During the relevant period, Company A was the exclusive United States distributor of aftermarket auto lights produced by Company B, an entity organized and existing under the laws of Taiwan. Since 2007, Company A has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Company B. Aftermarket auto lights are incorporated into an automobile after its original sale, usually as repairs following a collision, but also as accessories and upgrades. Lighting components include items such as headlights, taillights, fog lights, turn signals, brake signals, and reflectors. Aftermarket auto lights are sold through U.S. distributors to aftermarket auto lights wholesalers, retailers, and automotive repair shops.
During the relevant period, the defendant knowingly participated in a conspiracy with other persons and entities engaged in the manufacture and sale of aftermarket auto lights, the primary purpose of which was to fix the price of aftermarket auto lights sold in the United States and elsewhere. In furtherance of the conspiracy, the defendant engaged in conversations and attended meetings with representatives of other major firms engaged in the manufacture and sale of aftermarket auto lights. During such meetings and conversations, agreements were reached to fix the price of aftermarket auto lights sold in the United States and elsewhere. The conspiracy involved five or more participants, and the defendant was a manager or supervisor of one or more of those participants.
During the relevant period, aftermarket auto lights sold by one or more of the conspirator firms, and equipment and supplies necessary to the production and distribution of aftermarket auto lights, as well as payments for aftermarket auto lights, traveled in interstate and foreign commerce. The business activities of Company A and co-conspirators in connection with the production and sale of aftermarket auto lights that were the subjects of 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. Aftermarket auto lights that were the subjects of the conspiracy were sold by one or more of the conspirators to customers in this District.
a term of imprisonment for ten (10) years (15 U.S.C. ï½§ 1);
a fine in an amount equal to the greatest of (1) $1 million, (2) twice the gross pecuniary gain the conspirators derived from the crime, or (3) twice the gross pecuniary loss caused to the victims of the crime by the conspirators (15 U.S.C. ï½§ 1; 18 U.S.C. ï½§ 3571(b) and (d)); and
a term of supervised release of three (3) years following any term of imprisonment. If the defendant violates any condition of supervised release, the defendant could be required to serve up to two (2) years in prison (18 U.S.C. ï½§ 3559(a)(3); 18 U.S.C. ï½§ 3583(b)(2) and (e)(3); and United States Sentencing Guidelines ("U.S.S.G.," "Sentencing Guidelines," or "Guidelines") ï½§5D1.2(a)(2)).
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ï½§ 3013(a)(2)(A), the Court is required to order the defendant to pay a $100.00 special assessment upon conviction for the charged crime.
SENTENCING AGREEMENT>
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 $25,000 payable in full before the fifteenth (15th) day after the date of judgment; a period of imprisonment of 180 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 Federal Minimum Security Camp at Taft, 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. ï½§5K2.0. The parties agree not to seek or support any sentence outside of the Guidelines range nor any Guidelines adjustment for any reason that is not set forth in this Plea Agreement. 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. ï½§ 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. ï½§5E1.1(b), the defendant should not be ordered to pay restitution in light of the civil cases filed against Company A, including In re Aftermarket Automotive Lighting Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 09-ML-2007 GW, consolidated in the United States District Court, Central 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. ï½§5K1.1, for a downward departure from the Guidelines fine and imprisonment ranges 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 aftermarket auto lights industry.
11.	Subject to the ongoing, full, and truthful cooperation of the defendant described in Paragraph 13 of this Plea Agreement, and before sentencing in the case, the United States will fully advise the Court and the Probation Office of the fact, manner, and extent of the defendant's cooperation and his commitment to prospective cooperation with the United States' investigation and prosecutions, all material facts relating to the defendant's involvement in the charged offense, and all other relevant conduct. To enable the Court to have the benefit of all relevant sentencing information, the United States may request, and the defendant will not oppose, that sentencing be postponed until his cooperation is complete.
(b)	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, shall 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.
13.	The defendant will cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States in the prosecution of this case, the conduct of the current federal investigation of violations of federal antitrust and related criminal laws involving the manufacture or sale of aftermarket auto lights in the United States and elsewhere, any other federal investigation resulting therefrom, and any litigation or other proceedings arising or resulting from any such investigation to which the United States is a party ("Federal Proceeding"). The ongoing, full, and truthful cooperation of the defendant shall include, but not be limited to:
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, fully, truthfully, and under oath, subject to the penalties of perjury (18 U.S.C. ï½§ 1621), making false statements or declarations in grand jury or court proceedings (18 U.S.C. ï½§ 1623), contempt (18 U.S.C. ï½§ï½§ 401 - 402), and obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. ï½§ 1503, et seq.).
14.	Subject to the full, truthful, and continuing cooperation of the defendant, as described in Paragraph 13 of this Plea Agreement, and upon the Court's acceptance of the guilty plea called for by this Plea Agreement and the imposition of the recommended sentence, the United States will not bring further criminal charges against the defendant for any act or offense committed before the date of this Plea Agreement that was undertaken in furtherance of an antitrust conspiracy involving the manufacture or sale of aftermarket auto lights or undertaken in connection with any investigation of such a conspiracy ("Relevant Offense"). The nonprosecution terms of this paragraph do not apply to civil matters of any kind, to any violation of the federal tax or securities laws, or to any crime of violence.
15.	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.
18.	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 including, but not limited to, the substantive offenses relating to the investigation resulting in this Plea Agreement. 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 shall 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.
Dated: ______03/10/2011______
Counsel for Polo Shu-Sheng Hsu
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