PhibroChem will pay $31,000 to settle alleged violations of the Export Administration Regulations, according to an agreement with the Bureau of Industry and Security. In 2008, PhibroChem exported sodium fluoride to Mexico without a license, BIS said, but knew that it needed BIS authorization. As part of the settlement, PhibroChem neither admitted nor denied its guilt.
A supervisory CBP officer pleaded guilty Sept. 28 to impersonating a Customs attaché and making false statements related to his assignment with the CBP preclearance office in Dublin, Ireland, the Department of Justice said. Roger J. Kiley, 42, of Miami, faces up to three years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a year of supervised release for the charge of false personation. He faces five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for the false statement charge. Kiley is also responsible for restitution in the amount of $2,500.
A Florida man faces federal charges for operating an illicit pharmaceutical scheme out of his home that imported and sold more than $7 million of unapproved and misbranded oncology drugs at a substantial discount to doctors in the U.S. through a San Diego pharmacy, said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Martin Paul Bean III, 62, of Boca Raton, Fla., was arraigned Friday on a 35-count federal indictment for conspiracy to import unapproved, misbranded oncology drugs from foreign countries, including Turkey, Pakistan and India. According to court documents, from 2005 to 2011, the drugs were shipped in bulk to GlobalRXStore in San Diego and distributed to doctors throughout the U.S.
Nucor Corporation appealed a Court of International Trade ruling affirming the International Trade Administration’s final negative determinations in three sunset reviews of antidumping and countervailing duty orders on hot-rolled flat-rolled carbon-quality steel products from Brazil and Japan. The determinations resulted in revocation of the antidumping and countervailing duty suspension agreements for Brazil (A-351-828 / C-351-829) and the AD order for Japan (A-588-846). Nucor was plaintiff-intervenor in the case.
Muscle Gauge Nutrition will pay $45,000 in civil penalties, and its co-owner $22,000, to settle charges by the Bureau of Industry and Security that it violated the Export Administration Regulations by attempting to export to Iran without the required authorization. If the company or its co-owner fails to pay any of the three installments on time, additional penalties will be added, interest will accrue, and their export privileges will be denied for one year.
Netherlands freight forwarder Cargo-Partner Network, B.V. will pay a civil penalty totaling $98,000 for violations of the Export Administration Regulations as part of a settlement with the Bureau of Industry and Security. Its New York-based affiliate will also have to perform a compliance audit. CPN is accused of causing, aiding or abetting the unlicensed export of items to Iran; and acting contrary to the terms of a temporary denial order.
The Court of International Trade remanded an International Trade Administration determination that a model of telescoping utility cart exported by plaintiff Welcom Products falls within the scope of the antidumping duty order on hand trucks from China (A-570-891). The ITA didn’t adequately explain its reasoning for ruling that the model at issue is within scope, in light of a 2008 scope determination that a similar model is not, CIT said. CIT also sustained two ITA determinations that other models of utility carts exported by Welcom are not in scope, despite a challenge from defendant-intervenors Gleason.
The Court of International Trade affirmed CBP’s customs classification of “Stampin’ Up!” decorative punches, imported by plaintiff Wilton Industries from Taiwan. Wilton wanted the punches classified as cutting machines under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 8441.10.00, which enter duty free, but CIT said CBP was correct in classifying them as “other perforating punches and similar handtools” under subheading 8203.40.60, dutiable at 3.3 percent. Although Wilton and CBP stipulated that 23 of the models of punches were classified as cutting machines, leaving only 16 of the models in contention, CIT said it had to look at all of the subject merchandise and applied its ruling to all 39 models.
A former employee of a New Jersey defense contractor was convicted Sept. 27 of exporting sensitive U.S. military technology to China, stealing trade secrets and lying to federal agents, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said. Sixing Liu, aka "Steve Liu," a Chinese national, was taken into custody following the verdict, based on risk of flight considerations. Liu was convicted of six counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, one count of possessing stolen trade secrets in violation of the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, one count of transporting stolen property in interstate commerce and one count of lying to federal agents, ICE said.
BP Products North America will pay a $210,000 penalty and implement an enhanced oil spill response program at its oil export-import terminals nationwide, as well as a comprehensive compliance audit to resolve alleged violations of oil spill response regulations at its Curtis Bay Terminal in Maryland, said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice.