Washington state company slapped with $360,000 fine after illegally importing timber from China

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 in the Pacific Northwest. “By falsifying import documentation, L&D Kitchen and Bath sought to gain an unfair advantage over competitors and evaded important environmental protections. We are committed to working with our partners to detect and deter such deceptive practices, ensuring that all companies adhere to the law.”

Under the Lacey Act, which was signed into law in 1900, importers of wood products must file a declaration that gives details about the species and harvest country of imports that contain timber. This law helps keep protected and illegally logged timber species out of the country.

“The United States was the first nation to criminalize transnational trafficking of plants and plant products, which includes home goods made with wood,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said. “Enforcing the Lacey Act is our best tool in combating timber trafficking.”

Timber trafficking in East Asia has been detrimental to the environment and ecosystem, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency. By 2030, the region is projected to lose 70 million hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 25% of the projected global total. Illegal timber trafficking is often led by transnational crime organizations, which not only cause instability and foster corruption in nations but threaten the United States's security.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“Illegal timber trafficking threatens not only critical forest ecosystems that countless species rely on, but also undermines the legitimate timber trade in U.S. and international markets,” Assistant Director Edward Grace of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement said. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to stopping transnational criminal enterprises and maintaining the integrity of the legal timber trade.”

The cabinets and vanities were seized by the Fish and Wildlife Service and donated to a local branch of Habitat for Humanity.