Duty Fraud
Duty Fraud Attorney- Tim McInnis
DOJ’s investigation was headed by the Cristine Philips, Ass’t U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York, with the assistance of investigators from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The False Claims Act allows a private party, a “whistleblower,” with knowledge of fraud against the federal government, to sue in federal court on behalf of his or herself and the United States to recover significant civil penalties and treble damages. The whistleblower is usually given between 15 and 30 percent of the amount recovered by the government as an incentive to expose fraud against the United States.
Employees of importers and retailers committing Customs fraud who wish to bring a whistleblower case should now have confidence that their allegations will be taken seriously by the government. DOJ’s intervention in this case shows continuing interest in the use of the False Claims Act to prosecute Customs fraud.