Audio powerhouse Harman International Industries Inc. has agreed to pay $11.8 million to resolve accusations that it spent more than a decade sidestepping U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum-based electronic components imported from China—an alleged scheme federal prosecutors say tilted the playing field and violated trade laws designed to protect domestic manufacturers.
Audio Giant Accused of Evading Duties for a Decade
Harman, best known for its audio brands Harman Kardon, JBL and Mark Levinson, allegedly imported heat sinks containing extruded aluminum from a Chinese supplier between June 2011 and March 2023 without declaring that the products were subject to steep federal trade duties. According to a Nov. 26 U.S. Department of Justice announcement, those duties were imposed to counteract unfair foreign subsidies and artificially low-priced imports.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said the misconduct distorted the marketplace.
“For more than a decade, Harman knowingly evaded duties designed to prevent unfair foreign subsidies and trade practices,” Gorgon said. “We will use the law to protect American companies against cheaters. And when we catch them, they will pay for it.”
