DOJ Announces $8.1 Million Settlement in Customs Fraud Whistleblower Case

Importer Evaded Duties on Chinese Wood Flooring Through Transshipment Scheme A California-based importer and its owners have agreed to pay $8.1 million to resolve allegations by a whistleblower that they knowingly evaded customs duties on imports of multilayered wood flooring from China in violation of the False Claims Act. The settlement between the United States Department of Justice and Evolutions

Less than half the transaction value of the imports was declared to Customs. A California apparel importer and its top executives have reached a proposed settlement with the U.S. government regarding assets they will forfeit following their convictions on multiple customs fraud and import-duty evasion charges, court filings show. In October 2024, following a six-week trial, a federal jury found

Products were falsely declared to be of Thai origin when, in reality, they were made in China and only transshipped through Thailand. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) has cracked down on a scheme to evade hundreds of millions of dollars in antidumping and countervailing duties (“AD/CVDs”) on imports of Chinese-origin “oil country tubular goods” (or “OCTGs”).  According to a

Products made in Turkey and India were Transshipped through South Korea to falsify their country of origin A federal court in New Jersey has sentenced an international jewelry dealer to 30 months in prison for evading customs duties on products imported from Turkey and India.  The sentence also covers charges relating to unlicensed money-transmitting business. Monishkumar Kirankumar Doshi Shah, who

Shipment through third countries resulted in falsification of the country of origin and circumvention of antidumping duties, agency finds Chinese-manufactured xanthan gum was transshipped through India and Indonesia, resulting in falsification of its “country of origin” and “evasion” of applicable antidumping duties, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has determined. Due to its Chinese origin, the xanthan gum—a widely traded bulk

Importer allegedly circumvented antidumping duties by misdeclaring the “country of origin” of Chinese-made steel wire hangers An importer of steel wire hangers from China fraudulently circumvented the payment of antidumping duties by “transshipping” those products through third countries and misdeclaring their “country-of-origin,” the U.S. government has alleged. CEK Group, LLC shipped Chinese steel wire hangers to Thailand, Malaysia and India

The importer allegedly mispresented the identities of its suppliers to evade higher antidumping duty rates An importer of Chinese bedroom furniture has fraudulently evaded more than $7 million in customs duties by mispresenting the identities of its suppliers, the U.S. government has alleged. LaJobi Inc. misreported the names of its suppliers on its customs declarations to “systematically circumvent” applicable antidumping

Firm transshipped Chinese products through Malaysia to falsify their “country of origin” An importer has pled guilty to federal charges it illegally transshipped Chinese-made products through Malaysia to falsify their “country of origin” and evade U.S. customs duties. Misdeclaration of country-of-origin Puerto Rico-based Akua Mosaics admitted it conspired with mosaic tile manufacturers in China to have them ship products to

Firm allegedly misclassified and misstated the “country of origin” of aluminum wire it imported from China A Florida cable and wire importer and distributor has been sued by the U.S. government for allegedly evading more than $28 million in customs duties on hundreds of shipments of aluminum wire imported from China. Repwire of Miami falsely misclassified and misrepresented the “country

Apparel firm allegedly undervalued and misclassified its imports to dodge customs duties Miami apparel firm Alexis LLC has paid $7.6 million to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it fraudulently undervalued and misclassified imports from China to avoid paying the full amounts it owed in customs duties. The whistleblower is entitled to a 15%-25% reward under the qui tam provisions of