Home City Ice
Home City Ice is a company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Home City Ice delivers fresh ice to over 9 states. Operating a number of plants from its headquarters in Cincinnati, to a branch plant in Pittsburgh, the corporation uses blue ice chests at local stores. Its bagging plant in Pittsburgh is one of the largest in the region with head bagging operator Anthony Antonace overseeing the vast STOCK of ice shipped out of the plant on a regular basis.
The Home City Ice Company was involved in a "cartel"of large ice companies who conspired to eliminate smaller competition and keep retail prices higher than the market should have dictated. The Home City Ice Company pled guilty to violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in 2007 as a result of these actions. Home City, along with two other large ice companies in the United States, colluded to artificially inflate retail ice prices by agreeing to not compete against one another in the Southeastern region of the state of Michigan. This violation may cost Home City up to $100 million dollars and a term of probation to be determined by the federal government. No ACTIVE officials within the company will be charged with any criminal charges as the violations were blamed on a now deceased former vice president.
References
- Article from The Cincinnati Enquirer
- Article from The Enquirer
- Article from Bizjournals
- PDF of Official Plea Agreement with Federal Government
- Summary of Complaint by Lawyer for Federal Witness Against Company