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Thomas Quinn, a Samsung Semiconductor executive, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of fixing prices for dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Quinn conspired with competitors in a scandal that affected every major computer maker.

Co-conspirators included Korean Samsung executives as well as competitors from Hynix, Infineon, Micron Technology, and Elpida. Executives from all four companies will serve or have served five to eight months in prison. Each were ordered to pay $250,000 in personal fines. Criminal fines collected from the companies themselves have totaled $731 million.

"Prison time for price-fixers remains the most potent deterrent to illegal cartel activity," said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division. "Today's action [against Quinn] sends a clear message-those who engage in price-fixing schemes will be held accountable for their illegal conduct."

According to the felony charge against Quinn, he conspired with other memory makers to fix DRAM prices sold original equipment manufacturers from on or about April 1, 2001 to on or about June 15, 2002, and to coordinate bids on a Dec. 5, 2001 Sun Microsystems auction. The fixed-priced chips were sold to US computer makers Dell, HP, Compaq, IBM, Apple, Gateway, and Sun.

Quinn is charged with carrying out the price-fixing conspiracy by:

- Participating in meetings, conversations, and communications with competitors to discuss the prices of DRAM to be sold to certain customers; and

- Agreeing with competitors to coordinate bids submitted to Sun Microsystems Inc.

"This is the most recent charge in our continuing efforts to bring to justice both domestic and foreign-based executives who were involved with fixing DRAM prices," said Scott D. Hammond, the Antitrust Division's Director of Criminal Enforcement. "We are still very actively investigating antitrust violations in the DRAM industry."

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Jason L. Miller is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.