United States v. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
No. 3:99-CR-184-R (May 20, 1999)
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Roche) (defendant) and other vitamin manufacturers ran a sophisticated worldwide conspiracy to fix vitamin prices and divide up sales volumes, allocating percentages of the global market among themselves and meeting with a U.S. co-conspirator to divide customers and coordinate bids, destroying records after each meeting. Roche played a leading role, often initiating the conspiracy's expansion, and sold over $3.2 billion in vitamins under the scheme. Roche's lead executive initially lied to DOJ investigators before Roche eventually admitted its conduct and began cooperating; Roche had also previously pleaded guilty to a related antitrust violation involving citric acid.
Whether, in determining a fine for an antitrust violation, the Department of Justice considers the seriousness of the offense, the defendant's role, the impact on American consumers, repeat-offender status, cooperation or obstruction, and the fine's deterrent effect.