2 Los Angeles-area corporate executives indicted in first-ever criminal prosecution for failure to report under consumer product safety act

A federal grand jury returned an indictment Thursday against two corporate executives for their roles in a scheme involving defective and dangerous consumer products – the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles.

Simon Chu, 63, of Chino Hills, and Charley Loh, 60, of Arcadia, were charged with a multiple-object conspiracy to commit wire fraud, to fail to furnish information under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), and to defraud the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment also charges both defendants with one count of wire fraud and one count of failure to furnish information under the CPSA.

According to the indictment, Simon Chu was part owner and chief administrative officer of two corporations in City of Industry, Calif., that imported, distributed, and sold to retailers for consumer purchase dehumidifiers that were made in China. Loh was part owner and chief executive officer of the same two corporations.

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