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Boise Cascade Co. has pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Lacey Act and agreed to pay $6,382,000 in penalties for its role in a timber trafficking scheme tied to illegally imported hardwood plywood.
The fine represents twice the gross profits the Boise, Idaho, company derived from the sale of the illegal wood products. In addition to the financial penalty, Boise Cascade must implement a compliance plan as part of its sentencing. The case marks the third federal criminal enforcement action connected to a broader scheme involving duty evasion and illegal timber imports.
According to court filings, Boise Cascade’s distribution center in Pompano Beach, Florida, purchased more than $30 million in hardwood plywood from Horizon Plywood between 2018 and 2021. Horizon’s principals, Noel and Kelsy Quintana, were sentenced in February 2024 for conspiracy and Lacey Act violations related to illegal importation practices. A Horizon employee, Marta Angelbello, also pleaded guilty to making false statements tied to the scheme.
Federal prosecutors allege that beginning in 2019, Boise Cascade knowingly — or with willful blindness — purchased, received, sold, and transported hardwood plywood that had been illegally imported from China. The imports violated the Lacey Act due to falsified declarations regarding the type and origin of the wood products.
Investigators found that Horizon Plywood used transshipment tactics to obscure the origin of the materials, routing products from China through Malaysia before shipping them to the United States. Boise Cascade was aware of these practices, according to court documents, and “knew or should have known” the true source of the plywood.
The company also continued placing orders after federal authorities executed a search warrant at Horizon’s South Florida warehouse in January 2021. Despite knowledge of the investigation, Boise Cascade placed at least 10 additional orders for birch plywood within two weeks of the search.
“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 either knew about or was willfully blind to the illegal importation of the plywood they were purchasing from Horizon Plywood,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This scheme defrauded taxpayers of import duties and undercut law-abiding competitors by importing and selling between $25 million and $65 million worth of plywood products. By purchasing these illegal imports, Boise Cascade helped perpetuate the scheme.”
“Trade fraud is not a paperwork violation. It is theft from the American taxpayer and an attack on lawful American commerce,” said U.S. 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. Today’s guilty plea and sentence make clear that companies that turn a blind eye to fraud in pursuit of profit will be held accountable. Our Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect honest businesses, American markets, and the integrity of our trade system.”
“Homeland Security Investigations is dedicated to protecting U.S. economic interests and enforcing laws that safeguard our natural resources,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration between federal agencies to disrupt illegal importation schemes and hold responsible parties accountable. HSI will continue to pursue those who seek to profit by circumventing U.S. laws and regulations.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
