DOJ Won’t Prosecute Proterial Over False Vehicle Safety Reports

Auto parts manufacturer Proterial Cable—formerly Hitachi—will avoid a criminal prosecution after voluntarily disclosing to the Justice Department that it concealed failed safety tests of motorcycle parts to customers.

Harley-Davidson appears to match a description of one of the customer companies that fell victim to the fraud.

DOJ rewarded Proterial with a declination due to its timely self-report within weeks of learning of the misconduct, robust cooperation into prosecutors’ ongoing investigation, and agreement to disgorge $15.1 million in illicit profits. The declinationwas dated April 12 and published by the department’s criminal fraud section Tuesday.

The department’s investigation confirmed that, during ...