BIS Fines US Manufacturer for Bahrain-Related Antiboycott Violations

The Bureau of Industry and Security reached a $44,750 settlement with Streamlight, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of portable lighting products, after BIS said the firm violated the Export Administration Regulations’ antiboycott provisions. Streamlight committed the antiboycott violations by certifying to a freight forwarder -- as it prepared for a Bahrain trade show -- that its goods didn’t come from Israel.

The company voluntarily disclosed and admitted to its three violations of the EAR, BIS said in an Aug. 26 press release. Streamlight must pay the fine within 30 days of Aug. 26.

Matthew Axelrod, the top BIS export enforcement official, said companies doing business with boycotting countries “must be vigilant to ensure they detect prohibited boycott requests, report them to us, and decline to agree to them.” If a freight forwarder asks for a certification that the goods have no ties to Israel, “the right response is to decline and to report the request -- otherwise, there will be consequences,” he said.

BIS said the violations stemmed from the 2019 trade show in Bahrain. Streamlight used a “freight forwarder/logistics provider” to ship some of its products to be displayed at the show, and it gave that forwarder two commercial invoices and packing lists to certify that “no labor, capital, parts or raw materials of Israeli origin have been used in the printing, publishing or manufacture of these goods,” BIS said. The company also certified that the goods weren’t made by a company on the “Israeli Boycott Blacklist.”

BIS also said Streamlight failed to report the “receipt of the request to furnish this information” to the agency, which is required by the EAR.

If the company doesn’t pay the fine, BIS said, it may revoke its export privileges for one year.

Streamlight didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment.

The penalty is the third BIS enforcement action this year for antiboycott-related violations. The agency in June announced it had reached a $44,750 settlement with Airbus DS Government Solutions, a Texas-based affiliate of Airbus (see 2406030061), and in January announced a $153,175 settlement with Wabtec, a U.S. rail technology manufacturer and supplier (see 2401300047).