LOS ANGELES—A group of six Southern California businesses run by a fugitive Chinese billionaire was ordered on April 11 to pay $1.83 billion in restitution for scheming to evade payment of duties on imported aluminum products from China.
The companies participated in the scheme to disguise aluminum extrusions to look like pallets, which weren’t subject to anti-dumping duties imposed in 2011. They were simply spot-welded together so that they would appear in the shape of pallets, and stockpiled at four large warehouses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
