Auto Dealer Pleads Guilty In Honda Bribery Inquiry
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Rick Hendrick, one of the nation’s biggest auto dealers and owner of a top stock car racing team, pleaded guilty to mail fraud today in a case in which he was accused of making hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to Honda executives in the United States. The mail-fraud charge was one of 15 against Mr. Hendrick in a 1996 Federal indictment that accused him of engaging in a conspiracy to build his dealership empire by buying favorite treatment from Honda. Mr. Hendrick, 48, had previously pleaded not guilty, with his lawyers arguing that Mr. Hendrick gave gifts, not bribes. Federal Magistrate Max Cogburn said Mr. Hendrick faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 10 to 16 months and a $250,000 fine and agreed to allow Mr. Hendrick to serve the time in home detention because he is being treated for leukemia. His sentencing will be in 30 to 60 days. More : query.nytimes.com |