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Whistleblowers Customs and Border Protection

Holland & Knight LLP

Importers Beware: Signals Point to Significant Enforcement Risks for Tariff Evasion

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As importers await outcomes from the Trump Administration's trade negotiations, a series of newly imposed tariffs continues to impact a broad spectrum of imported products and related supply chains. Businesses are currently...more

The Volkov Law Group

Landmark Ninth Circuit Ruling Expands Application of False Claims Act to Trade Enforcement (Part II of II)

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DOJ’s ability to bring False Claims Act actions against companies for customs fraud was affirmed in a significant Ninth Circuit decision, United States ex rel. Island Industries Inc. v. Sigma Corp., No. 22‑55063, __ F.4th __...more

Morgan Lewis

DOJ Shifts Focus of Enforcement Efforts to Tariff Evasion

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As the US administration has imposed and modified tariffs on key trading partners, the US Department of Justice has turned its focus to criminally prosecuting companies and individuals for tariff evasion....more

Mintz

Dodging Duties: The Ninth Circuit Affirms an Expansive Application of the False Claims Act Consistent with Trump Administration...

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On June 23, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment in a case in which the jury found the defendant knowingly made false statements on customs forms to avoid paying...more

DLA Piper

Ninth Circuit Holds Private Parties Can Bring Claims Against Importers Under the False Claims Act for Antidumping Duty Evasion

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The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has issued a significant ruling with potentially far-reaching consequences for companies that import merchandise, including but not limited to those subject to...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Ninth Circuit Finds Importer Liable Under False Claims Act for Failure to Pay Antidumping Duties

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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Island Industries v. Sigma Corp., upheld a lower court jury determination that an importer of welded pipe fittings is liable for $8 million in unpaid antidumping duties under the False...more

Blank Rome LLP

Tariffs, Treble Damages, and Trade Enforcement: Surviving the New Era of Customs Crackdown

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The American trade landscape has transformed rapidly as the United States’ “America First” national-security platform reshapes international relations. New executive orders, proclamations, and memoranda issued under the...more

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

The Department of Justice's Criminal Division is Now Prioritizing Enforcement Related to Trade, Tariff, and Customs Fraud:...

On May 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division released a memorandum containing the Trump Administration’s new white collar enforcement priorities. Consistent with the Administration’s heightened...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

DOJ Announces “New Page” in White Collar and Corporate Enforcement

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Matthew Galeotti, head of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division announced in May that DOJ “is turning a new page on white-collar and corporate enforcement.” The same day, the Criminal Division circulated four...more

The Volkov Law Group

A Dangerous Combination: False Claims Act and Trade Violations (Part II of III)

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As in every Administration, the Trump Department of Justice has made clear its enforcement priorities — government fraud, immigration and national security to include tariff and trade violations.  DOJ fully recognizes the...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

DOJ Intervenes in Customs False Claims Act Case, Consistent with Administration’s Focus on Foreign Trade

The United States has intervened and filed a superseding complaint in a False Claims Act case originally filed by a whistleblower in the Eastern District of California. The Government’s complaint alleges that an importer and...more

Foley Hoag LLP

DOJ Announces New Priorities in White-Collar Criminal Enforcement: Targeting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse and Protecting American...

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The U.S. Department of Justice’s ("DOJ") Criminal Division recently issued a memorandum outlining a shift in the DOJ’s priorities and policies for prosecuting white-collar crime (the “Memorandum”). Issued by the Head of the...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Heightened False Claims Act Enforcement Risks Highlight the Importance of Compliance

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Despite signs of a retrenchment in some of the traditional areas of white collar enforcement under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) enforcement of the civil False Claims Act (“FCA”) appears...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

DOJ Invites Whistleblowers to Report Tariff Fraud

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On May 12, 2025, head of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Matthew Galeotti delivered a speech in which he stated that the Department augmented its corporate whistleblower program to prioritize the following subject...more

Cooley LLP

Complaint Against Uniform Company for Customs Duties Underpayment Highlights False Claims Act Risks for Tariff Compliance

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As we discussed in this April 7 blog post, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) can pursue civil penalties for tariff evasion under the False Claims Act (FCA), including against companies that are aware of tariff evasion by...more

Seward & Kissel LLP

Undervalue at Your Own Risk: The False Claims Act Comes for Imports

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While some enforcement areas have taken a pause this year, False Claims Act enforcement—especially around customs duties—is moving and likely to get busier. Just last week the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Recent DOJ Intervention Highlights FCA Use Against Customs Fraud

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With the Trump administration’s new tariffs, some companies may be looking for ways to compensate for increased costs of imports. Companies operating in the international supply chain must be aware that any attempts to...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

The Trump Administration’s Sweeping New Tariffs Heighten False Claims Act Risks for U.S. Importers

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As the business community adjusts to the reality of the Trump Administration’s sweeping new tariff regime, importers and other organizations that rely on imports should be mindful that with the expansion and sharp increases...more

Cooley LLP

Tariffs Are Here – Be Aware of Criminal and Civil Enforcement Risks

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On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump, citing national security concerns, used authority granted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to announce a sweeping new tariff regime, with a 10%...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Heightened False Claims Act Enforcement of Customs and Trade Violations

As the Trump administration forges ahead with its trade agenda, including almost weekly new tariffs, and antidumping and countervailing duties orders, heightened False Claims Act (FCA) enforcement is sure to follow. Below, we...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

DOJ Settlement Highlights Customs, FCA Risks for Importers

On March 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an $8.1 million settlement in a civil case under the False Claims Act (FCA) related to alleged customs evasion by a California importer of wood flooring. The...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

What Every Multinational Company Needs to Know About … Criminal Enforcement of Trade, Import, and Tariff Rules: A Growing Risk for...

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In less than 100 days, the Trump administration has implemented a dizzying array of new tariffs, significantly increasing costs and complexity for U.S. importers. The administration is keenly aware that companies operating in...more

BakerHostetler

Should You Consider a Voluntary Self-Disclosure for a Tariff Violation?

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Tariff evasion techniques such as transshipping goods through third countries, underreporting the value of goods, and mislabeling goods as other items subject to lower tariff rates have resulted in hundreds of billions of...more

WilmerHale

As Tariffs Increase, So Too May the Use of False Claims Actions to Pursue Customs Fraud

WilmerHale on

New trade policies—and particularly tariffs—are at the top of the agenda for President Donald Trump and his new Administration. Indeed, in his first weeks in office, President Trump has already imposed tariffs on major...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

What Every Multinational Company Should Know About … The Rising Risk of Customs False Claims Act Actions in the Trump...

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On February 20, 2025, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Commercial Litigation Branch at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Michael Granston, emphasized using the False Claims Act (FCA) to address U.S. Customs &...more

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