충북에서 생산되는 청풍소주를 와인으로 속여 밀수한 한국인이 미국연방검찰에 적발됐습니다
뉴저지 연방지검은 필라델피아에서 '모닝캄 인터내셔널사'를 운영하던 이도영씨가 밀수와 탈세, 돈세탁등의 혐의를 인정했다고 11일 발표했습니다
이씨는 지난 2005년 12월부터 2008년 2월까지 한국에서 14차례에 걸쳐 청풍소주를 수입하면서 소주보다 관세가 낮은 와인으로 속여 미국세관에 신고하는 방식으로 세금을 포탈한 것으로 드러났습니다
희석식 알콜은 관세가 갤런당 13.5달러, 와인은 갤런당 1.57달러에서 최대 3.15달러로 이씨는 소주를 와인으로 속임으로써 관세를 최소 4배에서 최대 10배정도 적게 낼 수 있었습니다
이씨가 탈세한 세금은 약 10만1천여달러이며 뉴저지와 메릴랜드 조지아 캘리포니아등에 청풍소주를 공급했습니다
연방검찰발표문 및 기소장
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ALCOHOL IMPORTER ADMITS SMUGGLING DISTILLED SPIRIT FROM KOREA INTO THE UNITED STATES, RELATED CRIMES
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 11, 2011 www.justice.gov/usao/nj |
CONTACT: |
Rebekah Carmichael Office of Public Affairs (973) 645-2888 |
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former Medford, N.J., resident in the business of importing alcohol from Korea admitted today to smuggling a distilled spirit into the United States, failing to pay the proper taxes on the imports, and laundering the profits back into the operation, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
U.S. citizen Do Young “Nick” Lee, 42, of Tysons Corner, Va., pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count each of smuggling, money laundering, and evasion of excise tax. Lee entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Lee operated Morning Calm International, Inc., principally based in Philadelphia, which imported the distilled spirit Cheungpung Soju into the United States from Korea. The tax rate for wines is significantly less than that for distilled spirits. Lee admitted that to reduce the amount of excise taxes levied on his imports, he submitted, and caused customs brokers to submit, documents to U.S. Customs and Border Protection claiming that the Soju was rice wine.
Between December 2005 and February 2008, Lee imported at least 14 shipments of Soju into various United States ports, including Port Newark, in which he falsely classified the Soju as rice wine. The false classification allowed Lee to avoid paying approximately $101,818 in excise taxes to the U.S. government.
Lee admitted that once he received the Soju, he sold it to various restaurants and businesses, some of which did not have liquor licenses, throughout southern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia and California. Lee used the proceeds of those sales to wire approximately $415,059 from New Jersey and elsewhere to Korea to pay for additional Soju – which also was then smuggled into the United States by the submission of false entry documents.
The smuggling charge to which Lee pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine; the money laundering charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine; and the evasion of excise tax charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Lee is currently scheduled to be sentenced on November 18, 2011.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, acting as agents of the U.S. Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco & Trade Bureau (TTB) – together with TTB investigators – under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Marsh for the purposes of this investigation; special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees; as well as officers and inspectors of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the leadership of Director of New York Field Operations Robert E. Perez, for the investigation of the case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Peter J. Scuderi Esq., Philadelphia
이도영 청풍소주 밀수 기소장