Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Automotive and Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise, investigated a case where a resident of Miami pled guilty for his participation in a conspiracy to smuggle merchandise into the United States by means of false and fraudulent invoices.
In court, Hector Samuel Esquijerosa, 52, admitted that he conspired with others, including brokers, suppliers and wholesalers of truck tires located in China, Canada and the United Kingdom to evade anti-dumping and countervailing duties, or tariffs, applicable to truck tires manufactured in China that his companies illegally imported into the United States and sold to customers in the Southern District of Florida and elsewhere.
In order to conceal the true origin of the imported truck tires, Esquijerosa and his co-conspirators caused the Chinese-origin truck tires to be transshipped to the United States through third countries, including Canada and Malaysia.
Esquijerosa pled guilty to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. Esquijerosa faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee Jimenez is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling the forfeiture of assets in the case.
The original announcement can be found here.
