(SAN FRANCISCO) — Authorities say StarKist has agreed to plead guilty to price fixing as part of a broad collusion investigation of the canned tuna industry.
Federal prosecutors announced the plea agreement Thursday and said the company faces a fine up to $100 million. Bumble Bee Foods last year pleaded guilty to the same charge and paid a $25 million fine.
Chicken of the Sea has not been charged because prosecutors say the company exposed the scheme and cooperated with the investigation.
Two former Bumble Bee executives and a former StarKist executive also each pleaded guilty to price-fixing charges.
Former Bumble Bee chief executive Christopher Lischewski has pleaded not guilty to a price fixing charge.
The three companies are accused of conspiring to keep canned tuna prices artificially high between 2010 and 2013.
