Whistleblowers who have information about customs fraud may bring lawsuits under the False Claims Act.

Today, the national law firm Baron & Budd announced that it is dedicating significant resources from its whistleblower practice to investigate allegations of customs fraud.

The Trump Administration imposed an unprecedented slate of tariffs and duties on thousands of products imported into the United States. These tariffs and duties largely targeted products imported from China.

Many companies were hopeful the Biden Administration would repeal these tariffs and duties. However, the Biden Administration generally has kept the tariffs and duties in place. Customs fraud is now on the rise, as some companies are using illegal methods to avoid paying what they owe.

With millions of containers entering the country every day, it is impossible for U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to stop every instance of fraud. The government needs the assistance of whistleblowers to deter and punish customs fraud. Whistleblowers often have inside information about their own company’s fraudulent practices, or they might notice that a competitor has been committing fraud.

Whistleblowers who have information that a company is evading tariffs or duties, or committing other types of customs fraud, may bring a lawsuit under the False Claims Act (FCA). The FCA allows whistleblowers to receive a portion of the money recovered by the government in a successful enforcement action.

“Maintaining the integrity of U.S. trade policies is critical to the nation’s economic stability and security,” said Baron & Budd shareholder Andrew Miller. “The federal government, taxpayers, and other U.S. businesses get cheated when dishonest companies scam their way out of paying tariffs and duties.”

Some of the most common fraudulent schemes to evade tariffs or duties include misclassifying imported goods, misrepresenting their country of origin, fraudulently underreporting their value, and transshipping and relabeling products.

If you are aware of customs violations or schemes related to customs fraud, please contact the whistleblower attorneys at Baron & Budd.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

Baron & Budd, P.C. is among the largest and most accomplished plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. With more than 45 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of entities and thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, California wildfires and environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.

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