Maria Christina, the former senior vice president of cargo sales and marketing for Martinair Cargo, has pleaded guilty for her alleged role in the long-running air cargo price-fixing cartel.
According to the US Department of Justice (D0J), Ullings was sentenced to 14 months in prison with credit for the time she was held in the custody of the Italian government pending her extradition. She has also been sentenced to pay a $20,000 criminal fine.
Ullings pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing and coordinating certain surcharges, including fuel surcharges, charged to customers located in the US and elsewhere for air cargo shipments.
“These air cargo shipments included heavy equipment, perishable commodities, and consumer goods destined for American consumers and shipped by American producers,” the DoJ said.
“Ullings participated in the conspiracy from at least as early as January 2001 until at least February 2006.”
A total of 22 airlines and 21 executives have been charged in the Justice Department’s investigation into price fixing in the air transportation industry.
To date, more than $1.8bn in criminal fines have been imposed and eight executives have been sentenced to serve prison time.
Ullings was apprehended by Italian authorities in July 2019 while visiting Sicily after being a fugitive for 10 years.
She arrived in Atlanta on January 10 and made her initial appearance on January 13 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
