Noh also directed some of the second set of transactions to be underreported to the accountants. In conjunction with these cash transactions, Ambiance used two sets of books to record sales, one of which documented only cash transactions and was not reported to Ambiance’s outside accountants. Ambiance employees received approximately 364 payments of more than $10,000 over a two-year period – which totaled more than $11.1 million – and the company failed to file a single Form 8300 to alert federal authorities to the cash transactions. In the second scheme outlined in a statement of facts filed Tuesday, Ambiance admitted it failed to file reports with the Secretary of the Treasury that documented cash transactions of more than $10,000. Customs and Border Protection a total of $18.42 million, which includes the unpaid tariffs and interest accrued through 2014. In the plea agreement filed today, Ambiance and Noh have agreed to pay U.S. As a result of this scheme, over the course of just over 4½ years, Ambiance undervalued imports by about $82.6 million and failed to pay more than $17.1 million in tariffs. The first invoice, which fraudulently reduced the value of the shipment, was submitted to CBP and was used to calculate the tariffs due on the imports. At Noh’s direction, the Asian manufacturers prepared two invoices for the clothing ordered by Ambiance – one that usually reflected 60 to 70 percent of the actual price and was paid by letter of credit, and one that reflected the balance of the actual price and was paid by wire transfer.
Ambiance wholesale full#
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that undervalued the shipments and allowed Ambiance to avoid paying the full amount of tariffs owed on the imports, according to court documents. In the customs fraud scheme, Ambiance imported clothing from Asian countries and submitted fraudulent invoices to U.S. – agreed to plead guilty to eight counts, including conspiracy, money laundering, and customs offenses.Ĭourt documents outline separate schemes involving Ambiance and Noh, which came to an end in September 2014 when law enforcement authorities led by HSI executed dozens of search warrants as part of an investigation into money laundering and other crimes at Fashion District businesses. Noh, 66, of Bel Air, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, charges that carry a statutory maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison.Īmbiance Apparel – the operating name for two corporations, Ambiance U.S.A. Support was provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Customs and Border Protection, LA IMPACT, and the Long Beach, Los Angeles, Gardena and West Covina Police Departments. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. The case against Ambiance and Noh was investigated by U.S. In conjunction with the criminal charges filed late Tuesday, prosecutors also filed plea agreements in which Ambiance Apparel and company owner Sang Bum “Ed” Noh agreed to plead guilty to felony offenses and pay a total of $117,897,708, which includes nearly $36 million in cash seized from Ambiance and Noh in 2014. The cases also allege a tax fraud scheme in which the company’s owner failed to report on tax returns millions of dollars derived from cash transactions. LOS ANGELES – Federal prosecutors have filed charges against a Fashion District clothing importer and the company’s owner in a scheme to undervalue imported garments and avoid paying millions of dollars in duties to the United States.
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