Federal prosecutors have fined 21 international airlines $1.7 billion over the last five years in what is turning out to be one of the largest criminal antitrust investigations in U.S. history.

According to the Justice Department, several airlines including British Airways, Korean Air and Air France fixed fees for passenger and cargo flights in and out of the United States between 2000 and 2006.

The move reportedly saved the airlines from financial ruin during difficult economic times, but in the process cheated American consumers and businesses out of millions, federal prosecutors said.

Since the case was made public in 2006, four executives have been put in jail, 19 have been charged with wrongdoing, 15 executives have pending charges, and nine executives are considered to be fugitives from the law.

The executives were charged with violating the Sherman Antitrust Act for conspiring to inflate fuel surcharges.

The investigation is far from over. Lawsuits from passengers and cargo companies are currently being heard in a California federal court.

By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related Links: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, CBS-6 Albany

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