Seattle, WA - The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that BidBuy Auctions, LLC ("BidBuy"), has agreed to pay $430,000 to resolve allegations that it undervalued light trucks imported from Canada in order to avoid paying significantly higher import duties. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act by Teller Law on behalf of a former BidBuy employee. As a reward for exposing the customs and duties fraud, the whistleblower will receive 23% of the recovery, totalling nearly $100,000.
Teller Law proudly represented the former BidBuy employee in this whistleblower action. "My client did the right thing, which takes courage. I am very glad to be a part of recovering funds for the U.S. government when people try to cheat Uncle Sam," said customs fraud attorney Stephen Teller.
How Did BidBuy Auctions Allegedly Violate U.S. Customs and Duties Laws?
In a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, it was revealed that Blaine, Washington auto broker, BidBuy, underreported the value of vehicles it imported from Canada in order to pay fewer import duties.
The duty on imported foreign-made light trucks increased substantially in 2020 when the U.S. exited the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and entered into the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). Effective July 1, 2020, the duty on such vehicles jumped to 25% of their value at the time of import. In one example cited in the...
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