Customs and Trade Law Weekly Snapshot GalleryCustoms and Trade Law Weekly Snapshot
EAR, International Trade, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Uncategorized, USMCA
Cleaning for COVID-19 – Importing Cleaning Products: Who Regulates You?
Co-Authored by Denise Calle
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are in full enforcement mode carefully monitoring novel products claiming to treat, mitigate, or “kill” COVID-19. Compliance advisories issued at the beginning of the pandemic are now being replaced with enforcement advisories. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and others engaged in the production or sale of products claiming to mitigate or “kill” COVID-19 should be more cautious than ever when developing product claims for both product labels and marketing material or alternatively, confirm products comply with the numerous regulations governing COVID-19 cleaning products.
VW to pay HIGHEST CBP PENALTY EVER, $1.45 Billion!
On January 11, 2017, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Attorney General announced the largest criminal and civil settlement ever against Volkswagen (VW) that totaled $4.3 billion. The breakdown of the settlement was $2.8 billion for the criminal penalty and $1.45 billion for a combined civil penalty for both the CBP and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Volkswagen agreed to plead guilty to three felony criminal counts and pay the $2.8 billion dollar penalty. The $1.45 billion combined settlement was for EPA’s “claim for civil penalties against VW in connection with VW’s importation and sale of these cars” as well as CBP’s claim for customs fraud.
CBP’s part of the $1.45 billion settlement dealt with a violation of 19 U.S.C. §1952, which “prohibits persons, by fraud, gross negligence or negligence, from entering or introducing, attempting to introduce, or aiding and abetting the entry or introduction of merchandise into the commerce of the United States, by means of statements or acts that are material and false, or by means of omissions which are material”.