A home goods seller in Tacoma, Washington, was fined $360,000 by the Department of Justice for lying about importing wooden cabinets and vanities from China.
Tip the Scale, which operates its business under the name L&D Kitchen and Bath, said the imports were a false species of wood harvested in Malaysia. Between January and May 2020, the company imported five shipping containers of wooden cabinets and vanities, evading $850,000 in import duties and the oversight of Chinese-harvested timber.
The company will also face three years of probation and must undergo a mandatory environmental compliance plan audited by a third party.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that companies will be held accountable for violating environmental laws and deceiving customs authorities,” said special agent in charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations operations…
