WASHINGTON: Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are expected to recommend a five-year prison term for a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisory officer who looked the other way when his ex-wife and others smuggled Chinese-made clothing into the United States without paying duties and taxes.
Sam Herbert Allen, 54, of Diamond Bar pleaded guilty in 2014 to a federal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Allen was indicted in October 2012 on charges of conspiracy, bribery and making false statements to U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigators.
Federal prosecutors allege in pre-sentencing papers that Allen has shown “a pattern and practice of committing crimes, evading the law and circumventing his legal obligations” by attempting to hide cash that should be available for court-ordered restitution payments.
Working alongside his ex-wife, who he convinced to open a clothing importing business, and another defendant, Allen accepted bribes of $2,000 per shipment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
During the course of the scheme, which operated from at least September 2009 until March 2010, Allen received more than $100,000 in bribe payments, prosecutors said.
Allen and his associates caused the United States to lose at least $780,000 in unpaid customs duties and taxes, according to the indictment.
His ex-wife, Wei “Julia” Lai, 44, was charged with crimes related to her role in the smuggling scheme in July 2011. She pleaded guilty the following year and is awaiting sentencing, set for March 21.
