In a high-stakes crackdown on trade fraud, the US Department of Justice has announced that patio furniture manufacturer Grosfillex Inc. will shell out $4.9 million to settle claims that it dodged US import duties on aluminium components shipped from China.
The Pennsylvania-based company stands accused of playing a shell game with customs paperwork, allegedly submitting falsified documents to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to sidestep antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on aluminium extrusions sourced from the People’s Republic of China.
Federal investigators say Grosfillex skirted tariffs by misclassifying certain aluminium parts as duty-free and packaging others into so-called furniture “kits” to obscure their true origin and avoid detection. In a twist that added fuel to the fire, the company reportedly failed to correct its customs filings even after realising the initial entries were inaccurate.
“Antidumping and countervailing duties protect American companies from unfair subsidies and trade practices that harm domestic industries,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
The $4.9 million settlement closes the curtain on a case that underscores Washington’s tougher stance on trade compliance and serves as a warning to other importers tempted to cut corners.
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