Airline executive charged in Atlanta in international price fixing plot

Airline executive charged in cargo probe

ATLANTA — An airline executive was charged with conspiring to fix prices in the air cargo industry.

A grand jury in Atlanta returned an indictment Tuesday against Maria Christina Ullings, a senior vice president for Martinair Holland N.V.

Prosecutors say she plotted to fix fuel surcharges and other prices for international air shipments between January 2001 and February 2006.

Ullings could face 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

Some 17 airlines and eight executives have been charged in the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation. More than $1.6 billion in criminal fines have been imposed and four executives have been sentenced to serve prison time.