{"id":29102,"date":"2017-02-01T13:02:17","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T21:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=29102"},"modified":"2017-02-01T13:02:17","modified_gmt":"2017-02-01T21:02:17","slug":"man-guilty-of-importing-15128-cartons-of-chinese-brand-cigarettes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=29102","title":{"rendered":"Man Guilty of Importing 15,128 Cartons of Chinese-Brand Cigarettes"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"U.S.A Los Angeles man admitted to illegally being in the business of importing tobacco products.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zhi Xiong Chen, 56, of Chinatown, plead guilty Monday to the felony offense and admitted that for nearly five years, despite not holding a permit to import tobacco products, he used several addresses to receive 15,128 cartons of Chinese-brand cigarettes, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

During this time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers also stopped about 9,824 cartons of Chinese-brand cigarettes at international mail facilities in California and New York, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the scheme, Chen admitted that he attempted to evade paying more than $467,000 in federal and state excise taxes on the cigarettes that he illegally imported.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom early 2011 until mid-2016, this defendant illegally imported thousands of cartons of Chinese-made cigarettes without the necessary permits and without paying excise taxes,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. \u201cThe defendant\u2019s crime not only cheated <\/span>taxpayers, but also caused unregulated, potentially dangerous products to be sold to an unsuspecting public.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Zhi Xiong Chen was illegally importing tens of thousands of cartons of cigarettes into the United States, he was also evading hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes due on those cigarettes,\u201d said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department\u2019s Tax Division. \u201cImporters who obtain the required permits and pay their fair share of taxes deserve to compete on a level playing field. Those who try to cut corners and skirt these legal obligations should know that they will be investigated and prosecuted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal Judge George H. Wu is scheduled to sentence Chen on April 17. He is facing up to five years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSelling contraband cigarettes and avoiding payment of federal excise tax is a serious crime,\u201d said Thomas J. Holloman, Interim Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington D.C. Field Office. \u201cActions such as Zhi Xiong Chen\u2019s deprive the American public of tax revenue rightfully due.\u00a0 This plea serves as a reminder that IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to maintaining the integrity of our tax system and will continuously direct its efforts to those who willfully choose to evade their tax obligations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES A Los Angeles man admitted to illegally being in the business of importing tobacco products. Zhi Xiong Chen, 56, of Chinatown, plead guilty Monday to the felony offense and admitted…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nMan Guilty of Importing 15,128 Cartons of Chinese-Brand Cigarettes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Los Angeles man admitted to illegally being in the business of importing tobacco products. 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