One Chinese company and three companies based in New Jersey and New York settled charges with the U.S. related to a customs avoidance scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced. The companies agreed to pay fines ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 to settle violations relating to the False Claims Act, "among other statutes."
Amara Cherif, a citizen of Guinea, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for conspiring to traffic millions of dollars' worth of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Dec. 14. Two of Cherif's co-conspirators were previously sentenced to 63 months and 54 months. The defendant's trafficking involved the poaching of more than 35 rhinoceros and over 100 elephants.
Importer Sun Ray Group and its owner, Jihua "Mike" Liu, face over $15 million in penalties for alleged fraud and lying on customs forms and underpayment duties on vegetable entries. A complaint at the Court of International Trade filed Dec. 6 by the DOJ says that Liu and Sun Ray avoided duties on 216 entries of dried and dehydrated garlic, onion and other vegetables, and also owe nearly $2 million in unpaid duties (United States v. Jihua "Mike" Liu, CIT #22-00330).
Colorado-based Ellab Inc. and its Danish parent company, Ellab A/S, paid the U.S. over $700,000 to settle charges that it failed to pay customs duties on imports of thermal validation equipment, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced Dec. 1. The U.S. alleged Ellab failed to classify its imports and properly declare their value, neglecting to pay the full amount of the duties owed on the goods.
Grand Prairie, Texas, resident Suhaib Allababidi pleaded guilty Nov. 30 to lying to the government about the origin of his company's products, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced. The defendant and his company, 2M Solutions, both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. The company also pleaded guilty to one count of filing false or misleading export information.
Michael Monegro, a Philippines national, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for fatally stabbing a fellow crewmember on a cargo container ship sailing from Shanghai to Los Angeles, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced. Monegro pleaded guilty in May to one count of committing an act of violence against a person onboard a ship that is likely to endanger the safe navigation of the ship (see 2205030014).