N.C., Texas shippers fined for U.S. export violations

N.C., Texas shippers fined for U.S. export violations    The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security announced that RF Micro Devices of Greensboro, N.C., agreed to pay a $190,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it exported spread-spectrum modems to China in violation of U.S. export control regulations.
   RF Micro Devices, which makes high-performance semiconductor components, voluntarily disclosed the violations. The company allegedly made 14 unlicensed exports to China with knowledge that a violation may occur between 2002 and 2003. BIS alleged that on 13 occasions the company made false or misleading statements on its shipper's export declarations.
   In addition, BIS alleged that in 2004 Carol Wilkins, a RF Micro Devices employee in charge of export compliance, made false and misleading statements during the course of the BIS investigation.
   'Specifically, the allegation stated that Wilkins told a BIS investigator that an outside export control consultant had confirmed that RFMD's products were not export-controlled to any region where the company was marketing or selling its products,' BIS said in a statement. 'BIS alleged that, in fact, Wilkins had been repeatedly advised that certain RFMD products may have been classified under the Commerce Control List and that these products may have required an export license.'
   Wilkins agreed to pay a $15,000 civil penalty for making the false and misleading statements.
   'Companies that voluntarily disclose violations must provide truthful and complete information to investigators,' said Kevin Delli-Colli, the Commerce Department's acting assistant secretary for export enforcement. 'Self-serving, false or misleading statements only serve to further undermine corporate credibility.'
   In another case, FMC Technologies of Houston agreed to pay a $610,000 civil penalty to settle allegations of illegal exports of oil and gas industry service parts. The allegations involved 78 unlicensed exports to a variety of countries of butterfly and check valves, which are controlled for chemical and biological weapons proliferation reasons.
   'The company voluntarily disclosed the violations, and cooperated fully with the investigation,' BIS said.