Supply Chain: An Overview, Legal Risks and Opportunities (Part 1)

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Eric Kadel and Sharon Cohen Levin, Co-Heads of S&C’s National Security Practice, Tom White, Co-Head of the Firm’s International Arbitration and Global Dispute Resolution Practice, and Litigation Special Counsel Andrew DeFilippis, provide an overview on supply chain enforcement and compliance. They explore key enforcement risks stemming from recent tariffs and discuss the potential for civil litigation under the False Claims Act. A preview of the conversation can be found in the Q+A below. Andrew: Customs fraud and tariff evasion are now listed as the Department’s second-highest white-collar criminal enforcement priority. What does that signal about how the government is approaching these issues today? Sharon: It’s a fundamental shift. For years, customs-related violations were typically addressed as regulatory infractions, or occasionally, in egregious cases as criminal prosecutions involving false statements, conspiracy to defraud the government, or smuggling. Those violations didn’t even make the list of priorities. But the posture today is markedly different. DOJ has identified customs and tariffs fraud as a top corporate criminal enforcement priority, signaling a shift for companies with global supply chains. Andrew: What makes the FCA such a powerful statute in the trade context? Tom: The False Claims Act is fundamentally about ensuring the government receives what it's owed. One thing that makes it so potent, especially in the trade space, is the low standard for triggering liability. The FCA doesn’t require proof of specific intent to defraud. Instead, companies can be held liable if they submit false information “knowingly”—which includes acting in reckless disregard or deliberate ignorance of the truth. That’s a lower threshold than what’s required for criminal prosecution under criminal smuggling or IEEPA’s criminal provisions.