July 5, 2002 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Ameri-China International Inc., of Los Angeles, Calif., and the company's president, Austin Wu, have agreed to pay a $140,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that they knowingly imported children's toys that violated federal safety standards. The settlement also imposes an injunction on the company and Wu, mandating that they abide by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), including FHSA provisions that call for age-appropriate labeling and no small parts on toys for children under three years of age.
CPSC claimed that Ameri-China imported more than 755,000 illegal children's toys, including toy cars, helicopters, phones, and bubble blowing plastic hammers that violated the federal safety standard for small parts. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under three and are banned hazardous substances. CPSC further claimed that the company imported or purchased for re-sale bouncing balls, mini pool table sets, art sets and balloon helicopters that contained labeling violations and were misbranded hazardous substances. CPSC also found a crazy ribbon party spray imported by the company to be flammable and therefore a banned hazardous substance. CPSC obtained samples of Ameri-China's imported toys during inspections of imported goods conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Customs Service.
This is the third case over the past three months in which CPSC and the Department of Justice have obtained civil or criminal penalties against Los Angeles-based toy importers.
"We will aggressively pursue companies that import and endanger children with unsafe toys," said CPSC's Acting Chairman Thomas Moore. "CPSC and the Justice Department have shown that we will take strong action to stop companies from profiting at the expense of children's safety."
Every year CPSC recalls numerous children's products that could contribute to unnecessary deaths or injuries. The CPSC's safety standards for children's toy are among the most stringent in the world.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov.
