Customs agents have makings for a heck of a holiday display

By DAN BROWNING, Star Tribune

Last update: April 29, 2008 - 1:28 AM

Maybe the U.S. government is planning a Christmas in July party.

Federal prosecutors have filed a complaint in Minneapolis seeking the forfeiture of 8,952 Christmas-tree light switches seized more than three years ago by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

According to a complaint made public Monday, the switches were shipped from Taiwan to Minneapolis bearing counterfeit trademarks that indicated they had been approved by Underwriters Laboratories.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is a New York nonprofit that certifies products meet certain standards for fire and electrical safety.

Sharp-eyed U.S. agents spotted the bogus UL trademarks, which were printed with white text on a black background rather than the trademarked black text on a white background.

According to a sworn statement filed by customs officer Davis Onken, the switches were worth about $98,472 when they were seized Sept. 27, 2004. The importer, RC Co., a division of Plastech Corp., had a previous UL certificate but only for switches manufactured in Rush City, Minn., or at a particular plant in Taipei, Taiwan, Onken said.

A UL representative discovered that the plant's Taipei address was merely an office. The switches were actually made elsewhere by a manufacturer who was never authorized to use the UL trademark, he said.

The U.S. attorney's office did not respond Monday to messages seeking comment on the case or on what's likely to happen if it suddenly finds itself with 8,952 Christmas-tree light switches.

Dan Browning • 612-673-4493

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