NEC TOKIN will plead guilty and pay a $13.8 million criminal fine for conspiring with competitors between 2002 and 2013 to fix prices for electrolytic capacitors sold to customers in the United States and elsewhere.

Electrolytic capacitors store and regulate electrical current in electronic products, including computers, televisions, car engine and airbag systems, home appliances and office equipment.

“NEC Tokin and its co-conspirators fixed prices on capacitors, a component used in just about every product that has a battery or a plug,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer.  “In announcing our first guilty plea in this ongoing investigation, we are enforcing the principle that American consumers are entitled to competitive markets.  We will vigorously investigate and prosecute illegal cartels regardless of where the defendants are located or the products they target.”

The one-count felony charge was filed in federal court in San Francisco.