Houston Freight Forwarder Settles Allegations of Antiboycott Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) today announced that Rohde & Liesenfeld, Inc. (R&L), a freight forwarder located in Houston, Texas, has agreed to pay a $108,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated the antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

BIS, through its Office of Antiboycott Compliance, alleged that, on thirty-six occasions during the years 2002 and 2003, R&L, in connection with transactions involving the sale and transfer of goods from the United States to Syria, furnished prohibited information about its or another company's business relationships with or in a boycotted country.

"The Department of Commerce will continue to enforce its regulations prohibiting U.S. companies from taking any action in support of restrictive trade practices or unsanctioned boycotts," said Darryl W. Jackson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement. "Companies likely to confront boycott issues should design and implement Compliance Plans that include appropriate employee training, senior management involvement, and internal systems and safeguards for reporting and responding to them."

The antiboycott provisions of the EAR prohibit U.S. persons from complying with certain requirements of unsanctioned foreign boycotts, including furnishing information about business relationships with or in a boycotted country. In addition, the EAR requires that persons report their receipt of certain boycott requests to the Department of Commerce.

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