Washington state importer ordered to hire CCO in response to Lacey Act violations

A Washington state importer has been ordered by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pay a $360,000 fine and hire a chief compliance officer after imported wood items the company claimed to be from Malaysia were found to be from China.

Tip of the Scale, a Tacoma, Washington, importer doing business as LD Kitchen and Bath, was placed on three years of probation as part of a settlement with the DOJ on violations of the Lacey Act, which covers the import of wood products. The company also agreed to pay $850,000 in import duties before it reached a settlement on the export control violations, the DOJ said Friday in a press release.

Between January and May 2020, Tip of the Scale imported five shipping containers with wooden cabinets and vanities that were “falsely declared” to be made with a “false species” of wood harvested in Malaysia. The items were made from wood harvested in China, the DOJ said, violating the Lacey Act, which requires importers to file a declaration “which describes the scientific genus and species as well as the harvest country of imports that contain timber,” the DOJ said.