Clothing Importer to Plead Guilty to Tax Fraud, Tariff Dodging

A Los Angeles clothing importer has agreed to plead guilty to claims it dodged paying millions of dollars in import duties and committed tax fraud, and will pay nearly $118 million, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Ambiance U.S.A. Inc. imported clothing from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other countries. It submitted fraudulent customs invoices undervaluing the goods to avoid paying the full amount of import duties, according to a plea agreement submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Ambiance undervalued its imports by about $82.6 million and failed to pay more than $17.1 million in tariffs. ...