The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Aug. 9-15:

Humberto Baez, a Pennsylvania-based produce importer, was sentenced to 13 years in prison Aug. 12 for conspiring to import and distribute cocaine, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said. Baez conspired with others to bring in the cocaine in shipping containers from the Dominican Republic between August 2016 and March 2018. Baez first conducted two “dry run” shipments via an importing company which contained only produce to appear as a real business. A third shipment brought into Miami in February 2018 contained around 16 kilograms of cocaine in the flaps of cardboard boxes that also housed chili peppers, the attorney's office said. The shipment was being shipped to Baez's warehouse in Pennsylvania when the container was searched and seized by law enforcement in March 2018.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Aug. 2-8:

Four individuals were arrested Aug. 11 for their roles in a scheme to traffic counterfeit goods with a retail value of over $130 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said. The group is charged with importing generic goods from China, applying brand labels to the goods, then selling the counterfeit-branded goods to retail and wholesale purchasers, in clear violation of anti-trafficking provisions, the attorney's office said. The counterfeit goods included fake UGG boots, Nike Air Jordan shoes, Timberland boots and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Another three defendants in the 14-count indictment remain at large.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 26 - Aug. 1:

The U.S. is seeking more than $18 million from importer Crown Cork & Seal in a July 28 complaint filed in the Court of International Trade alleging that the company fraudulently misclassified its metal lid imports to skirt a 2.6% duty rate. The goods -- metal lids for food, beverage, household and consumer products -- are properly classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 8309.90.0000 and are dutiable at that 2.6% rate, the Department of Justice said. Instead, CCS attempted to classify its metal lid imports from Europe between 2004 and 2009 under HTS subheading 7326.90.1000, which has duty-free treatment (United States v. Crown Cork & Seal, USA, Inc. et al., CIT #21-361).

Stargate Apparel, Rivstar Apparel and their former owner and CEO, Joseph Bailey, settled a False Claims Act case with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York over the companies' use of inaccurate invoices to underreport their clothing imports, the Department of Justice said July 28. Under the settlement, Bailey and the New York-headquartered companies admitted to engaging in the fraudulent schemes. Bailey will pay $3.2 million while the employee stock ownership plan that owns the two companies will pay a combined $2.8 million, DOJ said. Bailey and the companies led two “double invoicing” schemes 2004-2015, according to the complaint.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 19-25:

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 12-18:

Tiffany Cunningham, partner and patent litigator at Perkins Coie, was confirmed by a Senate vote of 63-33 July 19 as circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (see 2103300044). Cunningham will be the first Black judge in that court's history. At Perkins Coie, Cunningham is a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property practice and Patent Litigation subgroup in the Chicago office. "Tiffany is a superb and accomplished lawyer who is highly respected and regarded within and outside Perkins Coie," managing partner Bill Malley said in a press release. "We congratulate her on her groundbreaking appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We greatly appreciate all of Tiffany’s leadership and many contributions to the firm and our clients and wish her well on the next exciting chapter of her career."