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Individuals with knowledge of the details of Customs fraud
can sue in a U.S. Federal Court on behalf the U.S. government
to recover the revenue lost because of the fraud. The person
bringing the suit does not have to be a U.S. citizen or
resident. If successful, the person bringing the suit will
receive a reward of between 15 and 30 percent of the total
recovered. The amount recovered is usually a multiple (up
to 3 times) of the original loss of revenue and penalties
of between $5,500 and $11,000 for each individual false
claim.
The United States has entered into to many trade agreements
including NAFTA, which has reduced tariffs between Canada,
Mexico and the United States; textile preference programs
such as The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),
The Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and
The Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA);
and various other free trade agreements with individual
countries. The differences in tariff treatment between
the countries under these agreements and the rest of the
world create an incentive for unscrupulous importers to
commit Customs fraud by transshipping products made in
other countries through one of these countries and falsely
declaring the country of origin to Customs. Similarly,
products from China are subject to many trade restrictions,
such as quotas and antidumping duties. Many of these Chinese-made
products are shipped through and declared to be a product
of third countries to avoid these restrictions. All of
these practices represent Customs fraud and can be addressed
under the False Claims Act.
Whistleblowers with knowledge of Customs fraud and documents
to support their claims can be of great assistance to Customs
in stopping that fraud. If their allegations are proved
to be corrected, they will be rewarded for their efforts.
The Cullen Law Firm is in a unique position to assist such
individuals. Attorneys in the firm have many years of Customs
experience and many years of experience prosecuting False
Claims Act cases.
To begin an evaluation of your case, please complete
our online fraud report or complete and return
the attached form to customsfraud@cullenlaw.com.
If you would prefer to discuss this matter, you may leave
a message at 888-820-6585, ext. 602 and an attorney will
return your call.
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