CHARLESTON, S.C. — The United States has filed a complaint against Global Office Furniture, LLC (GOF) and its owner Malcom E. Smith alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly and improperly underpaying customs duties owed on imported office chairs. GOF, located in Myrtle Beach, imports and sells office furniture manufactured overseas in the People’s Republic of China.

The United States’ complaint alleges that the defendants, in coordination with a Chinese manufacturer, engaged in a scheme to fraudulently avoid or decrease the payment of customs duties owed to the United States for merchandise imported between 2019 and 2023. 

The defendants allegedly employed a double-invoicing scheme by submitting false entry summaries and invoices to U.S. Customs and Border Protection that undervalued imported office chairs, thereby reducing the duties paid on the merchandise. The government further alleges that the defendants undertook efforts to destroy evidence of their fraudulent scheme after they were informed that the government was investigating their practices.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Austin McCullough and James Leventis are handling the matter, with assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is United States ex rel. Joyce v. Global Office Furniture, LLC, et al., No. 2:20-cv-01223-DCN.

The claims asserted by the United States are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.