International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 13-16 in case they were missed.
A Maryland man pleaded guilty Oct. 15 to obstruction of agency proceedings, in connection with giving false statements during his background investigation for a security clearance, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gurpreet Singh Kohli, of Potomac, Md., was required to obtain a security clearance for a position with a defense electronics and weapons manufacturer based in Maryland. But during the investigation, Kohli minimized his relationships with Indian officials that resulted from his concurrent operation of NAVTEC, which was registered with the Department of State to act as a broker in the sale and transfer of U.S. defense electronics and related components, ICE said. The majority of NAVTEC’s customers were Indian government, military, and defense-related agencies. Kohli faces a maximum of five years in prison.
CBP won't release the names of the members involved in the customs broker working group that are working to define the role of brokers in filing with Centers for Excellence and Expertise. The agency can't release "the names of the group members because we weren’t given permission by each group," said a spokesman.
Gerardo Chavez, the president of the San Diego Customs Broker Association, pleaded guilty to organizing a conspiracy to import foreign-made goods in to the U.S. without paying customs duties, said the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. Another person charged in the case, Carlos Medina, also pleaded guilty, the Justice Department said. As a part of the plea deal, Chavez will cancel his customs broker license, forfeit property, and pay restitution of as much as $18 million.
CBP updated its Trade Transformation document for November, providing some brief information on the customs broker working group that is developing guidance on the role of the brokers in dealing with the Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs). The CEEs are industry-dedicated, virtual locations for entry summary review and are currently in a pilot phase. The virtual locations are hoped to offer a more consistent treatment of goods for each industry, though some concerns remain among brokers and importers.
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America will hold its annual conference at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif. April 7-10.
CBP announced the location and agenda for next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC), Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. (ET) in Washington, D.C. Online registration for webcast and in-person participation is available through Nov. 30, said a notice in the Federal Register Nov. 16.
The Court of International Trade ordered C.H. Robinson to pay $106,407.86 in unpaid duties, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, on wearing apparel from China entered for transportation and exportation (T&E) to Mexico but allegedly diverted into U.S. commerce. CIT did not allege C.H. Robinson was party to the diversion scheme, but found that as carrier C.H. Robinson was liable for payment of the duties. C.H. Robinson provided proof of arrival at the port of exportation, but could not prove actual exportation of the merchandise after a CBP investigation indicated the merchandise was missing.
AT&T’s $14 billion “Project Velocity IP” plan to expand its wireline and wireless broadband network will broaden the company’s reach into areas that are “underserved and unserved” by this technology thus far, industry analysts and brokers told us. AT&T told investors at a company conference Wednesday that it plans to spend $8 billion to expand its 4G LTE wireless broadband coverage and $6 billion to increase offerings of its U-verse and U-verse IPDSLAM services.
The Port of New Orleans set records for container traffic in 2012, said Port of New Orleans CEO Gary LaGrange in the annual State of the Port Address Nov. 5 hosted by the International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of New Orleans. In 2011, the port handled a record 476,413 TEUs. Through the first six months of 2012, the port handled 241,707 TEUs -- outpacing last year's figures for the same time period. So far in 2012, total general cargo is up 8.5 percent, buoyed by a 23 percent increase in break-bulk cargo.