Whistleblower to Receive $210,000 from
$1M Government Customs Fraud
Settlement with Samsung C&T America
NYC whistleblower attorney Timothy J. McInnis announced that his client, Devyn Taylor, will receive $210,000 from the proceeds of a $1 million Government Customs fraud settlement with Samsung C&T America, Inc. (“SCTA”), a global trading and investment company. The settlement, which was approved by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe on February 6, 2023, resolves allegations brought by the United States against SCTA under False Claims Act. Taylor had previously filed under seal a qui tam whistleblower case pursuant to the False Claims Act against another party and that filing help lead to the Government’s settlement with SCTA, according to McInnis. The award to Ms. Taylor was also approved by J. Gardephe and publicly reported by the court on February 16, 2023.
As the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York reported in a press release issued February 7, 2023, its settlement with SCTA resolved claims “that between May 2016 and December 2018, SCTA violated the False Claims Act by misclassifying imported footwear under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (“HTS”) and by not paying the full amount of customs duties owed.”
Ms Taylor, through her attorney, McInnis, expressed appreciation for the investigative and settlement efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HIS). The Government’s case is captioned, United States of America, Plaintiff-Intervenor, v. Samsung C&T America, Inc., Defendant, 16 Civ. 7216 (PGG), in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Further details of the Government’s allegations are set out in its Complaint in Intervention, which can be found on the court’s electronic docket. For additional information about this case or other False Claims Act matters, please contact:
Timothy J. McInnis, Esq.
McInnis Law
521 Fifth Avenue, 17 Fl., New York, NY 10175
(212) 292-4573
tmcinnis@mcinnis-law.com
