ARIZONA IMPORTER PAYS $1.7 MILLION IN CUSTOMS FINES

ARIZONA IMPORTER PAYS $1.7 MILLION IN CUSTOMS FINES    Maxi Switch Inc., a Tuscon, Ariz.-based manufacturer of video game cartridges, has paid U.S. Customs $1.72 million in additional duties, penalties and interest after an agency investigation into the company’s illegal import activities.
   In August 1997, the Customs fraud investigation resulted in a civil complaint against Maxi Switch being filed in the Court of International Trade in New York. The investigation disclosed that the importer submitted 136 Customs entries containing false statements and omissions in the value of cartridge circuit boards.
   The total revenue loss to the government was $721,879.44, which Maxi Switch paid immediately. However, a penalty needed to be assessed by Customs against the importer.
   Settlement conferences were held in May 1998 and February 2000, after which Maxi Switch submitted a $975,000 penalty offer. The Court of International Trade, and the Treasury and Justice Departments accepted the penalty offer, plus interest of $22,040.56.