Coraly Schreiber joined Diaz Trade Law as the Managing Attorney, after serving more than 20 years with the Federal Government, where she worked for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in several capacities.  She was a CBP Officer, a Paralegal Specialist, a Fines, and a Penalties and Forfeitures (FPF) Officer in the field, and the FPF Branch Chief overseeing all 42 of CBP’s FPF offices at the national level.  She spent the last 10 years in Washington, D.C. as an Attorney-Advisor with CBP’s Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings, Penalties Branch and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Disclosure Law and Judicial Actions Branch.  Coraly has extensive knowledge of CBP enforcement actions, including penalties, liquidated damages, and seizures of prohibited or restricted merchandise. Her experience at the field-level at a specific port of entry and at the headquarters-level, overseeing national case handling, make her a subject matter expert and give her a unique perspective in reaching the best solution possible for DTL clients.  Coraly not only attended CBP training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Harpers Ferry, WV and Glynco, GA, but she also taught several different courses at these training facilities.  She is an experienced instructor and public speaker. She has trained CBP Paralegal Specialists, CBP Officers, ICE-HSI Special Agents and other trade personnel at more than a dozen ports of entry and national locations where CBP operates. Coraly was a panelist at the 2019 Customs Lawyers Association conference and was actively engaged in CBP’s Taskforce for Women.  Coraly is a Lawyer in Good Standing admitted to the practice of Law in Puerto Rico, fully bilingual, and can handle matters and discuss issues with clients in both English and Spanish. Coraly enjoys being on the water and is an animal enthusiast. She lives in South Florida with her husband, two sons, and the (spoiled) family dog, named Wesley.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Issued administrative decisions on behalf of CBP, both granting and denying relief, in cases interpreting money laundering statutes and civil forfeiture provisions for cases where Homeland Security Investigations’ special agents seized currency pursuant to Task Force initiatives, Search Warrants, or as a result of investigations and/or arrests. (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956/1957 and 18 U.S.C. § 981).
  • Issued administrative decisions on behalf of CBP, both granting and denying relief, in cases where CBP encountered currency violations (failure to report, misreporting, structuring and bulk cash smuggling) at the ports of entry. (31 U.S.C. §§ 5316/5317, 31 U.S.C. §§ 5332/5324).
  • Attorney-Advisor on team responsible for drafting the update to the Informed Compliance Publication, Mitigation Guidelines, for violations of 19 U.S.C. § 1584 (unmanifested narcotics) (to be published in FY 2023) https://www.cbp.gov/trade/rulings/informed-compliance-publications
  • Reviewed written product and signed administrative decisions on behalf of CBP in accordance with delegated authority (Treasury Decision 00-58), in high-value cases (from $100,000 to several million dollars) (seizures, penalties and liquidated damages) as well as de novo review in trade-cases pursuant to Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA).
  • Accepted “offers in compromise” as per delegated authority and in accordance with 19 U.S.C. § 1617 to settle cases on behalf of CBP in seizure, penalty and liquidated damages cases.
  • On detail at the U.S. Attorneys’ Office, District of Puerto Rico representing U.S. Border Patrol, and as part of the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG), prepared criminal complaints and indictments (charging documents) for violations of various Customs & Immigration laws including, but not limited to alien smuggling violations and others under the scope of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1546 and 1542, 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324, 1325 & 1326.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • Panel Discussion, FIU INCAE, Compliance with Laws and Regulations for Importing Food into the US, October 8, 2022
  • Webinar, “IPR in collaboration with CBP,” October 12, 2022
  • The Trade Americas, Caribbean Region Trade Mission and Business Conference, October 24, 2022
  • AmCham Bolivian Delegation Meeting, “Import to the United States,” November 8, 2022
  • Americas Conference, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, “Current Challenges of International Trade from the US Perspective,” January 21, 2023
  • Conference, iLaw2023, “Counterfeit or Gray Market? Latest Trends in Trademark and Intellectual Property Protection,” February 17, 2023

ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Bar Association
  • Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico
  • Customs and International Trade Bar Association

SUPERVISORY AND MANAGERIAL ROLES

  • Second-Line Supervisor, Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures (FPP) Officer
    San Juan, PR (2009-2011).
  • Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures (FPF) Branch Chief, Headquarters
    Washington D.C. (2019)
  • Acting Supervisory Attorney-Advisor, CBP Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings, Penalties Branch
    Washington D.C. (2019)
  • Provided advice and direction to field personnel and 42 FPF offices nationwide on policies, procedures and interpretation of CBP regulations in numerous enforcement and trade-related subjects such as: manifests, entry, unlawful importation, re-delivery, intellectual property rights, money laundering, currency reporting, unlicensed money transmitters, facilitation, smuggling, fraud, failure to report currency and failure to declare merchandise, export, classification, cultural property and others, under Title 19 of the CFR and the USC and several sections of Title 18 of the USC, as well as relevant portions of Title 31.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Director’s Award
    S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations Academy
    Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, GA (2003)

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Puerto Rico

COURT ADMISSIONS

  • Puerto Rico

EDUCATION

  • University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, BA (2001)
  • University of Cambridge, England (Summer Program) (2001)
  • University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, MA (2003)
  • University of Puerto Rico School of Law, Río Piedras, JD (2007)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Training

Student:

  • S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Basic Training
    Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Glynco, GA (2003)
  • Paralegal Specialist Basic Training
    FLETC, GA (2005)
  • Paralegal Specialist Advanced Training
    FLETC, GA (2006)
  • CBP Supervisory Leadership Training
    FLETC, Harpers Ferry, WV (2009)
  • CBP Administrative Fact-Finding
    Chicago, IL (2011)
  • Emerging Leaders Training
    Washington D.C. (2013)
  • CBP Second Level Command Preparation
    FLETC, WV (2011)
  • CBP Our Brains on Bias
    FLETC, WV (2022)

Trainer/Instructor:

  • Paralegal Specialist Basic Training
    FLETC, GA (several iterations from 2009 through 2019)
  • Paralegal Specialist Advanced Training
    FLETC, WV (several iterations from 2011 through 2019)