MIAMI – In a major blow to a large-scale timber trafficking scheme, Boise Cascade Company pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a $6,382,000 fine for violating the Lacey Act. The publicly traded company, with a distribution center in Pompano, Florida, purchased wood from Horizon Plywood, whose principals, Noel and Kelsy Quintana, were sentenced in February 2024 for conspiracy and Lacey Act violations.
According to court filings, Boise Cascade’s Pompano location purchased hardwood plywood from Horizon, totaling more than $30 million between 2018 and 2021. Beginning in approximately 2019, Boise Cascade purchased, received, sold, and transported hardwood plywood from Horizon knowing that it 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, including transshipping products from China to Malaysia.
“Trade fraud is not a paperwork violation. It is theft from the American taxpayer and an attack on lawful American commerce,” said US 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.”
Boise Cascade is the third federal criminal enforcement action to come out of this large-scale duty evasion scheme. The company’s guilty plea and sentence make clear that companies that turn a blind eye to fraud in pursuit of profit will be held accountable.
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. The case highlights the importance of collaboration between federal agencies to disrupt illegal importation schemes and hold responsible parties accountable.
Boise Cascade is a publicly traded company with a distribution center in Pompano, Florida. The company purchased hardwood plywood from Horizon, totaling more than $30 million between 2018 and 2021. Boise Cascade purchased, received, sold, and transported hardwood plywood from Horizon knowing that it was illegally imported from China.
The Lacey Act is a federal law that prohibits the importation and sale of timber and timber products that have been harvested in violation of foreign laws. The law is designed to protect the environment and promote sustainable forestry practices.
“As I made clear at last week’s TIMBER Working Group Roundtable event hosted by ENRD, we must thwart efforts of foreign bad actors who engage in illegal timber mining to finance other illicit and dangerous activities,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “Boise Cascade’s guilty plea is a significant step toward ending illegal timber shipments from entering our country, thereby bolstering American security and safeguarding American citizens from threats of transnational criminal organizations.”
Boise Cascade’s guilty plea is a significant step toward ending illegal timber shipments from entering the United States. The company’s sentence serves as a warning to other companies that may be involved in similar schemes.
Boise Cascade’s role in the timber trafficking scheme was significant, and the company’s guilty plea and sentence are a major victory for the U.S. government. The case highlights the importance of collaboration between federal agencies to disrupt illegal importation schemes and hold responsible parties accountable.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Environmental Crimes|White Collar Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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