Chinese national indicted for skirting antidumping and countervailing duties in Puerto Rico after HSI investigation
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — On April 26, 2023, a federal grand jury in the Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Shuyi Mo, a citizen and resident of the People’s Republic of China, with 31 counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C., Section 1343; one count of a wire fraud conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C., Section 1349; and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C., Section 371.
HSI San Juan, in coordination with HSI San Francisco, arrested Mo on April 29, 2023, as he waited at San Francisco International Airport to board a flight to China.
An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan’s Global Trade Investigations Group, in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), revealed an illegal transshipment scheme of merchandise from China to Puerto Rico via Malaysia.
According to the indictment, Mo is the manager of China-based supplier Neviews Development Co. LTD. He conspired with a U.S. importer based in Puerto Rico to transship porcelain mosaic tiles from China through Malaysia to circumvent antidumping and countervailing duties of approximately 718%.
“Companies that import products made abroad must comply with the law, including paying the import duties that protect domestic manufacturers and producers from unfair competition,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow. “The U. S. attorney’s office is committed to enforcing the law against those who fail to pay the government money it is owed, just as it will enforce the law against those who falsely claim government funds.”
“The misclassification of merchandise to pay lower duties to the United States government is a duty evasion violation that will not go unpunished. One of our main missions in HSI is to protect U.S. businesses from fraudulent trade practices. We will continue our collaboration with customs and trade authorities to expose these illegal practices and bring those who engage in these practices to justice,” said HSI San Juan acting Special Agent in Charge Rebecca González-Ramos.
“CBP remains vigilant on products produced in certain countries and are transshipped through third countries to evade detection and elude duties,” stated CBP Director of San Juan Field Operations Roberto Vaquero. “CBP has a long history of innovation and technology to support a growing trade enforcement mission and has been successful with origin determinations in the past, whether it be through DNA analysis, pollen analysis or other means.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Alum of the Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico is prosecuting this case.
If you have information on potential customs fraud violations, please contact HSI at 787-729-6969.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI's workforce of more than 8,700 employees is comprised of more than 6,000 special agents stationed in 237 U.S. cities and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the largest DHS investigative law enforcement presence overseas and one of the largest in U.S. law enforcement.
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