The business was fined $360,000 and placed on three years of probation. Throughout probation, Tip the Scale must follow a mandatory environmental compliance plan overseen by a third-party auditor.
Tip the Scale LLC, based in Tacoma, Washington, admitted to wrongdoing and was sentenced today for providing inaccurate information about the type of wood and where it was sourced for their wooden cabinets and vanities.
“The United States was the first nation to criminalize transnational trafficking of plants and plant products, which includes home goods made with wood,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Enforcing the Lacey Act is our best tool in combating timber trafficking.”
Tip the Scale, also known as L & D Kitchen and Bath, is a company that imports and sells a variety of home products, including wooden kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Court records show that from January to May 2020, Tip the Scale brought in five shipping containers of wooden cabinets and vanities, all of which were falsely labeled. These products, which actually came from China, were falsely labeled as a different type of wood from Malaysia. This allowed Tip the Scale to avoid scrutiny of Chinese timber and dodge paying over $850,000 in import duties.
Importers of wood products must submit a declaration under the Lacey Act, detailing the scientific genus and species, along with the harvest country of timber-containing imports. These declarations play a crucial role in preventing protected, illegally logged, or misdeclared timber species from entering the United States. Tip the Scale admitted guilt to a felony charge of importing goods through deceptive statements.
“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 (HSI) 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.”
The business was fined $360,000 and placed on three years of probation. Throughout probation, Tip the Scale must follow a mandatory environmental compliance plan overseen by a third-party auditor. Before the sentencing, the company settled over $850,000 in unpaid duties. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confiscated the cabinets and vanities, which were then given to a Habitat for Humanity branch in the area.
“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,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to stopping transnational criminal enterprises and maintaining the integrity of the legal timber trade.”
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