A federal jury in Manhattan has ordered the government return a number of luxury vehicles which were seized from a Tennessee company in 2013.
Four years ago, cars including Mercedes-Benzes, Land Rovers and BMWs were seized by the government from Efans Trading Corporation, a company founded by Chinese immigrants who exported vehicles to their home country.
The company took advantage of the huge demand for luxury vehicles in China and directly exported them. This unsettled automakers who claimed they were violating standard business practices and using deception to buy the vehicles in the United States, forcing federal prosecutors to get involved, reports The New York Times.
At the conclusion of the trial, the jury said that federal prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to support the civil forfeiture lawsuit filed. Alongside ordering that the government return the seized luxury cars, the jury also ordered $3 million in cash seized from a company bank account to be returned.
In a statement, a partner from law firm Covington & Burling that was representing Efans said “We are grateful that the jury saw this case for the government overreach that it was. Even with the victory they deserved, this case took a tremendous toll on our client.”
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