Colorado companies charged with selling chinese forklifts as ‘Made in America’
WASINGTON D.C. (KRDO) -- Two Denver-area companies and their top executives have been charged after allegedly defrauding the federal government by selling Chinese forklifts to the U.S. Government as “Made in America” and evading tariffs, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).
Court documents state that Endless Sales Inc. (Endless), Octane Forklifts, Inc. (Octane), current executives Brian Firkins and Jeffrey Blasdel, and former executive J.R. Antczak allegedly imported forklifts from China and disguised them as being manufactured in the U.S. when selling the forklifts to federal government agencies.
In a statement from the DOJ, it says "they also used an unnamed Chinese national and a Chinese manufacturer to create fake commercial invoices that fraudulently undervalued the cost of forklifts imported into the United States by Endless and Octane, thereby defrauding the government of over $1 million in applicable tariffs, duties, and fees."
“Defrauding the United States to profit from goods made in adversarial nations like China undermines our economic and national security,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting American taxpayer dollars, defending our national security against those who would undermine it, and holding accountable anyone who pursues illegal profits over our country.”
Each has been charged with wire fraud, and Blasdel has been additionally charged with making false statements to the government, confirms the DOJ. According to the DOJ, each count of conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. For the corporations, the maximum penalty is a fine of $500,000.
“My office is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and the integrity of federal procurement,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D of DHS OIG. “Octane Forklifts, Endless Sales, and their executives allegedly engaged in a brazen scheme to sell rebranded Chinese made forklifts to FEMA and the Department of Defense , all while falsely certifying their compliance with the Buy America Act. It is especially reprehensible that this alleged fraud involved a FEMA contract using disaster funds. I commend our law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, and DOJ’s Antitrust Division for their steadfast commitment to holding these individuals accountable.”
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