Former South County Customs Supervisor Gets Prison for Accepting Bribes

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA - A San Juan Capistrano man was sentenced Monday to almost four years in federal prison for a bribery and smuggling scheme.

Sam Herbert Allen Jr., 54, a former supervisor with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was also ordered to pay $781,632 in restitution to the United States for duties that were not paid on the smuggled goods.

“This defendant betrayed his sworn duty to uphold the law,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. He “supervised the inspection of shipping containers entering the United States and thus played an important role in our border security. His greed led him to commit a serious offense that cost the United States hundreds of thousands of dollars and presented an unacceptable security risk to our community and to the nation.”

Allen was a supervisor who oversaw the examination and release of international cargo that arrived at “Foreign Trade Zones,” or FTZs, which are privately operated warehouses that perform customs functions under the supervision of CBP.

According to court papers, Allen accepted bribes of $2,000 per shipping container to allow clothing into the country without paying customs. He received approximately $100,000 in bribes in 2009 and 2010.

The scheme involved his ex-wife Wei “Julia” Lai. She has also pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and money laundering. She's scheduled to be sentenced March 31.

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