Sergey Nefedov of Anchorage and Mark Shumovich of Bellevue, Washington, were charged June 11 with conducting a scheme to illegally export nearly $500,000 worth of snowmobilers and associated parts from the U.S. to Russia, DOJ announced.
Jacob Kopnick
Jacob Kopnick, Associate Editor, is a reporter for Trade Law Daily and its sister publications Export Compliance Daily and International Trade Today. He joined the Warren Communications News team in early 2021 covering a wide range of topics including trade-related court cases and export issues in Europe and Asia. Jacob's background is in trade policy, having spent time with both CSIS and USTR researching international trade and its complexities. Jacob is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Public Policy.
The Court of International Trade in a text-only June 12 order sent a customs case on importer Cozy Comfort's wearable blanket, the "Comfy," to trial after the company claimed that there was a genuine factual dispute at issue in the case. Judge Stephen Vaden ordered a bench trial for the case to be held Oct. 21 following oral argument on June 12 (Cozy Comfort Co. v. United States, CIT # 22-00173).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on June 13 allowed the Canadian government and a group of eight Canadian lumber exporters to appear as amici curiae in an appeal of the Commerce Department's use of the Cohen's d test to detect "masked" dumping. Judge Kara Stoll granted the motion (Mid Continent Steel & Wire v. United States, Fed. Cir. # 24-1556).
The U.S. asked the Court of International Trade on June 12 to order importer Rayson Global and its owner Doris Cheng to pay over $5.8 million for skirting antidumping and Section 301 duties on uncovered mattress innersprings from China as part of a default judgment against the two defendants (United States v. Rayson Global, CIT # 23-00201).
Importer Diamond Tools Technology voluntarily dismissed its appeal of an Enforce and Protect Act case on diamond sawblades at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The importer took to the appellate court after its application for attorney's fees was rejected by the Court of International Trade (see 2307310021) (Diamond Tools Technology v. U.S., Fed. Cir. # 24-1882).
The EU General Court on June 12 rejected Russian investment fund VEB.RF's application to be removed from the bloc's Russia sanctions regime, according to an unofficial translation. The European Council sanctioned the financial institution for helping undermine the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and providing material support to "Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilization of Eastern Ukraine."
The EU General Court on June 12 rejected Syrian businessman Issam Shammout's challenge to his designation under the bloc's Syria sanctions regime. Shammout, an executive for airline company Cham Wings Airlines and the Shammout Group, was sanctioned due to his position as a "leading businessperson operating in Syria."
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met with the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on June 5-6 to discuss the nation's accession to the WTO, the trade body said.
Matt Lapin, former partner at Porter Wright, has joined Wiley Rein as special counsel in the international trade and national security practice groups, the firm announced. Lapin's practice centers on "supply chain risk, export controls, economic sanctions, customs law, foreign investment, and anti-corruption," the firm said.
The Court of International Trade on June 12 rejected customs broker Seko Customs Brokerage's motion for an expedited briefing schedule on its motion for an injunction in its suit against CBP's suspension of the company from participation in the Entry Type 86 and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs (Seko Customs Brokerage v. U.S., CIT # 24-00097).