For example, in the Biden administration, top-line priorities for the DOJ included civil rights and voting rights, domestic terrorism and public corruption. Now, deep into 2025, we see a DOJ agenda that prioritizes immigration prosecutions and tariff evasion.
Doing research for a column a few weeks back on the Charleston Nine firefighters and the Sofa Super Store fire, I stumbled upon a news item about a DOJ complaint against a South Carolina business furniture company, Global Office Furniture. The complaint charges Global for falsifying documents to avoid tariffs. Global imports office chairs from China to sell on Amazon.com.
We will skip the details of the False Claims Act complaint, which alleges that Global employed a double-invoice scheme to evade tariff costs to remain competitive, because the larger takeaway here is the prosecution and the DOJ’s shift to criminal charges from civil ones.
Centuries old, the False Claims Act authorizes the government to seek treble damages and penalties against anyone who knowingly submits or causes the submission of false claims to the government in connection with certain activities or programs, including importing furniture and furniture parts. The FCA also allows private parties, including whistleblowers, to file claims under seal and, depending on the outcome, to claim monetary awards for doing so.
Buyer beware
The nugget on Global led me to an article about a speech at the Securities Industries and Financial Markets Association...
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