Customs and Import Crimes
A customs investigation can place a business, professional license, shipment, financial assets, and personal freedom at risk. Allegations may involve inaccurate declarations, undervaluation, country-of-origin issues, prohibited goods, duty evasion, smuggling, or false statements to federal authorities.
R. Michael Bullotta is a Detroit customs crime defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor representing importers, exporters, business owners, corporate employees, customs brokers, and individuals facing federal investigations.
Bullotta Law assists clients with Customs and Border Protection inquiries, Homeland Security Investigations matters, subpoenas, search warrants, seizures, indictments, trials, and related federal proceedings.
What Are Federal Customs Offenses?
Customs laws govern goods entering and leaving the United States. Businesses and individuals may face civil penalties, forfeiture proceedings, criminal investigations, or a combination of these actions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforces trade laws through monetary penalties, seizures, forfeitures, and legal action. Homeland Security Investigations also investigates trade fraud, intellectual property offenses, and unlawful activity involving global supply chains.
Common allegations include:
Smuggling merchandise into the United States
Failing to declare goods
Misrepresenting the value of imported products
Falsifying country-of-origin information
Evading customs duties
Using incorrect tariff classifications
Importing counterfeit goods
False labeling or documentation
Transshipping goods to conceal their origin
Importing restricted or prohibited merchandise
Export-control violations
Making false statements to federal agents
Conspiracy or money laundering
CBP specifically identifies duty evasion, false country-of-origin declarations, counterfeit merchandise, transshipment, smuggling, and health or safety violations as potential trade-enforcement concerns.
How Customs Investigations Begin
A customs investigation may begin after CBP inspects a shipment, identifies inconsistent documentation, receives a trade allegation, or detects unusual importing activity.
Investigators may review:
Entry summaries
Commercial invoices
Bills of lading
Certificates of origin
Tariff classifications
Customs broker communications
Purchase orders
Banking records
Emails and text messages
Supplier agreements
Shipping routes
Prior import history
CBP may detain or seize merchandise while investigators determine whether a violation occurred. HSI agents may also interview employees, execute warrants, subpoena records, or coordinate with prosecutors.
Businesses should preserve relevant records and seek legal advice promptly. Employees and executives should not guess, speculate, or provide inaccurate explanations during interviews.
Civil Violations Versus Criminal Charges
Not every customs error is a crime. Importing requirements are complex, and mistakes may occur because of inaccurate supplier information, classification disputes, broker errors, or unclear documentation.
Civil proceedings may involve:
Monetary penalties
Additional duties
Shipment detention
Merchandise seizure
Forfeiture
Loss of importing privileges
A matter may become criminal when prosecutors allege intentional smuggling, concealment, false documentation, fraudulent conduct, or knowing duty evasion.
The distinction between negligence, gross negligence, and intentional fraud can therefore become a central issue.
Speak With a Detroit Customs Defense Lawyer
R. Michael Bullotta spent 23 years as a federal prosecutor handling complex federal investigations before entering private practice.
Contact Bullotta Law for a complimentary, confidential consultation about a customs investigation, shipment seizure, subpoena, or federal charge.
