A federal grand jury has indicted three men and two companies based in the Bay Area on charges tied to an alleged scheme to evade more than $109 million in U.S. customs duties on building products imported from China, federal prosecutors said.
The indictment names Xin Mian Pan, also known as Henry Pan, 63, of San Francisco; Hua Liang Xie, also known as Nolan Xie, 61, of South San Francisco; and Jinhua Wang, also known as Johnson Wang, 53, a Chinese national. It also charges two Bay Area companies controlled by Pan — Uni-Tile & Marble Inc. and Uni-Stone & Cabinet Inc. — and a China-based logistics company, Shenzhen Top & Profit International Forwarding Co. Ltd.
Federal prosecutors said the charges stem from a years-long effort to avoid anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties and other tariffs imposed on quartz surface products, wooden cabinets and vanities, and ceramic tiles made in China and imported into the United States.
According to the indictment, filed on Wednesday and unsealed Thursday, the defendants are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, smuggling, making false statements to customs officials, and related offenses. Pan and his two companies are also charged with international money laundering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the alleged scheme undermined trade laws meant to protect U.S. manufacturers and workers. The indictment alleges that between September 2018 and August 2023, the defendants worked to avoid steep tariffs.
Those duties included combined tariff rates of more than 340% on quartz products, about 250% on wooden cabinets and vanities, and nearly 690% on ceramic tiles.
If convicted, the defendants face potential prison sentences ranging from two to 20 years per count, depending on the charges, federal prosecutors said.
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