United States of America v. Boise Cascade

Miami, Florida, criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendant charged with Lacey Act Trafficking.

The Boise Cascade Company (Boise Cascade) was accused of felony violation of the Lacey Act for its role in a timber trafficking scheme to evade countervailing and anti-dumping duties.

“Boise Cascade either knew about or was willfully blind to the illegal importation of the plywood they were purchasing from Horizon Plywood,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This scheme defrauded taxpayers of import duties and undercut law-abiding competitors by importing and selling between $25 million and $65 million worth of plywood products. By purchasing these illegal imports, Boise Cascade helped perpetuate the scheme.”

“Trade fraud is not a paperwork violation. It is theft from the American taxpayer and an attack on lawful American commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Boise Cascade knowingly profited from illegally imported timber and helped sustain a scheme designed to evade millions in duties owed to the United States. Today’s guilty plea and sentence make clear that companies that turn a blind eye to fraud in pursuit of profit will be held accountable. Our Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect honest businesses, American markets, and the integrity of our trade system.”


During the sales years of 2018 through 2021, Boise Cascade’s Pompano location purchased hardwood plywood from Horizon, totaling more than $30 million. Beginning in approximately 2019, Boise Cascade purchased, received, sold, and transported hardwood plywood from Horizon knowing (including actions manifesting willful blindness) that hardwood plywood was illegally imported from China. The importation was illegal because Horizon smuggled the wood and violated the Lacey Act by falsifying import declarations for hardwood and softwood plywood. Boise Cascade knew that Horizon had previously tried to hide the origin of the wood that it imported. For example, Horizon transshipped products from China to Malaysia, where it moved product into new containers, and then from Malaysia to the United States. Boise Cascade knew or should have known the plywood purchased from Horizon was sourced from China.

Boise Cascade was also aware the United States executed a search warrant at Horizon’s warehouse in South Florida in January 2021, and despite knowing that Horizon was under some federal investigation, Boise Cascade still placed at least 10 new orders for birch plywood in the two weeks following the search warrant and received the orders.

HSI investigated the case with support from Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christian Harris and Elizabeth Hannah for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

The Boise Cascade Company (Boise Cascade) pleaded guilty and was sentenced for a felony violation of the Lacey Act for its role in a timber trafficking scheme to evade countervailing and anti-dumping duties. Boise Cascade was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,382,000, representing twice the gross profits it derived from the illegal wood at issue in this case, and implement a compliance plan. Boise Cascade is the third federal criminal enforcement action to come out of this large-scale duty evasion scheme.

Boise Cascade agreed to pay a fine of $6.3 million.