By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against a unit of Panasonic Corp on Monday, alleging the company falsified its financial books and records in order to conceal payments to sales agents in China and other parts of Asia.
The charges were filed against Panasonic Avionics Corp, a subsidiary that designs in-fight entertainment systems, as part of a criminal information in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
In general, criminal information filings are used in cases where defendants are settling the charges. However, the court docket did not yet indicate if the case has been settled.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Editing by Franklin Paul)