Ceratizit USA LLC, a Charlotte-based tungsten carbide distributor, will pay $54.4 million to settle claims of evading customs duties under the False Claims Act. The Justice Department alleged that between August 2020 and March 2024, the company misrepresented Chinese products as originating from Taiwan and misclassified goods to avoid Section 301 tariffs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"This settlement once again demonstrates that the Department of Justice will zealously pursue those who seek an unfair advantage in U.S. markets by evading customs duties," said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate. U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. added, "We will use the law to support our companies and to make cheaters pay," as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Mark Stover, who filed a civil lawsuit under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, will receive about $9,750,000 million from the settlement of the Ceratizit case. The Justice Department created a cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force on August 29. As explained by the Department, "The Task Force augments existing coordination mechanisms within the Department of Justice, leveraging expertise from both the Civil and Criminal Divisions, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, to aggressively pursue enforcement actions against any parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy." The Civil Division and...
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