Boise Cascade Fined $6.3 Million in Federal Timber Trafficking Case

Boise Cascade was fined $6.3 million in May for a felony violation of the Lacey Act involving what the U.S. Department of Justice called a “timber trafficking scheme”.

The case involved over $30 million in illegal purchases of hardwood plywood from China via Horizon Plywood (an importer) from 2019-2021.

“Boise Cascade either knew about or was willfully blind to the illegal importation of the plywood they were purchasing from Horizon Plywood,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson “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.”