International Trade Law News

The Portland Press published an excellent article describing the contentious sentencing hearing involving Maine Biological Laboratories, Inc. (MBL) and several of its employees for engaging in numerous import and export violations, including receiving an avian influenza virus smuggled from Saudi Arabia, mail fraud, violation of the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act, making false statements to the U.S. Government and violations of the Export Administration Act.

The article notes that during the sentencing hearing U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock criticized the company's argument that a significant monetary penalty would force the company to be shut down by stating "I find Maine Biological Laboratories' position here very troubling. . . . A good corporate citizen would accept the penalty, pay the fine and move on. Instead, Maine Biological Laboratories has . . . raised the specter of terrible economic suffering and trouble for its innocent employees." The article notes that MBL faced a fine ranging between $560,000 and $1.1 million and that federal prosecutors suggested a penalty of $500,000, the amount that the judge imposed on the company.

The article also contains a timeline describing the events that led to the imposition of the fines on the company and jail time for several of the company's executives and employees.