Pacific Eurotex, an "import-export textile business" in Los Angeles, and its two owners pleaded guilty to involvement in a money laundering scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said in a Dec. 22 news release. The company and owners Morad and Hersel Neman entered a guilty plea to "federal charges in an indictment that accused them of using the business to receive bulk cash that they knew or believed to be the proceeds of narcotics trafficking," the Justice Department said. "The defendants admitted in court documents that they failed to report to federal authorities the receipt of this bulk cash, and that they 'structured' frequent deposits of the cash, in amounts less than $10,000, to avoid a bank reporting requirement that would have drawn the scrutiny of law enforcement." The owners also used two sets of business records to conceal income for tax purposes, it said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is denying export privileges for four individuals for export control law violations, the agency said. BIS denied export privileges for Gerardo Trevino-Moncivais until Oct. 18, 2026, for "causing" the export of several guns and ammunition designated on the U.S. Munitions List (USML) from the U.S. to Mexico; Hunter Perry until July 20, 2021, for "exporting or causing to be exported" to the United Kingdom USML-designated articles including night vision devices and thermal scopes without the required State Department licenses; Joseph Esquiel-Gonzalez until Aug. 30, 2026, for exporting a USML-designated .380-caliber pistol without the required State license; and Papa Faal until May 12, 2026, for exporting semi-automatic rifles from the U.S. to The Gambia without required State Department licenses.

The Court of International Trade on Dec. 11 sustained a Commerce Department scope ruling that found curtain wall units imported separately by Yuanda for the same construction project are covered by antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum extrusions from China (A-570-967/C-570-968). Capping a long-running case wherein Commerce at one point ruled the curtain wall units are exempt (see 1610110052), CIT held that curtain wall units may be subassemblies that are not subject to duties, but that Yuanda’s units need further fabrication before assembly, disqualifying them for the exemption. For example, hangers, lock panels, shims and embeds needed for the final curtain wall are not included on any invoice or entry forms, CIT said. With the issue of whether Yuanda’s curtain wall units are covered decided, CIT found it did not need to rule on whether the curtain wall unit exemption applies only to units imported as one customs entry, or whether the units can be imported in multiple entries for the same project over an extended period.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida sentenced three Miami-Dade residents for roles in a conspiracy to illegally export aviation parts to Syria, in violation of U.S. sanctions against the country, the Justice Department announced Dec. 20. The defendants had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by exporting dual-use goods without a license to Syrian Air, a Syrian state entity designated and blocked by Treasury for transporting weapons and ammunition to Syria “in conjunction with” Hezbollah and the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps. U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom sentenced both Ali Caby and Arash Caby to two years in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and sentenced Marjan Caby to one year and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Bloom also ordered Arash Caby to pay a $10,000 fine, DOJ said.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Dec. 11-17:

Federal intellectual property enforcement prosecutors are working in five “critical” regions to counter illegal trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, the Justice Department announced Dec. 15. DOJ and the State Department jointly manage the intellectual property enforcement program, which was established in 2006, and now has on-the-ground prosecutors in Abuja, Nigeria; Bucharest, Romania; São Paulo, Brazil; Bangkok; and Hong Kong.

Aluminum products do not have to retain the general shape or form of an extrusion to be covered by the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on aluminum extrusions from China (A-570-967/C-570-968), the Commerce Department said in a recent decision. Sustaining a 2016 Commerce Department ruling that fittings for engine cooling systems imported by Adams Thermal Systems are covered by AD/CV duties (see 1607260065), CIT held that, though the scope says it covers shapes and forms “produced by the extrusion process,” it also mentions several fabrication processes, such as bending and stretching, that change the shape of the extrusion but do not remove it from the scope. CIT also found that ATS’s transformation of raw extrusions into fittings does not result in a substantial transformation that removes them from the scope. The scope specifically includes goods “described at the time of importation as parts for final finished products,” as well as products “identified with reference to their end use,” CIT said.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Dec. 4-10:

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Nov. 27 - Dec. 3:

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Nov. 20-26: