Great Lakes Customs Law represents importers, exporters, and travelers nationwide in matters before U.S. Customs and Border Protection — currency seizures, penalties, and tariff and trade compliance. One focus, handled at ports across the country.
Customs and international trade are governed by a shifting body of statutes, treaties, and regulations, and by the agencies that enforce them. Anyone who imports merchandise, exports goods, or crosses the border with money can find themselves on the wrong side of a rule they never knew existed. When that happens, the government rarely explains your options — it issues a seizure notice, a penalty demand, or a bill, and starts a clock.
This firm does one thing: it handles customs and trade matters before CBP and the agencies that work alongside it. Importers are required to exercise “reasonable care,” and CBP has broad authority to seize property, assess penalties under 19 U.S.C. 1592, and demand liquidated damages when it believes the law has been broken. We defend against those actions and, where the facts allow, work to recover what was taken and reduce what is owed.
Customs Law
Handled
for Clients
Matters
Three Core Areas of Practice
Most matters fall into one of three areas. Each links through to detailed guidance on the specific statute, procedure, or deadline you are facing.
Currency and Cash Seizures
Travelers carrying $10,000 or more must file a FinCEN Form 105. A missing or inaccurate report lets CBP seize every dollar — even lawful, taxed money — at airports, land borders, and through domestic carriers like FedEx and UPS. The path back runs through strict deadlines and an early, consequential choice of proceedings.
- FinCEN 105 reporting
- Structuring (31 U.S.C. 5324)
- Bulk cash smuggling
- Election of proceedings
- Getting seized cash back
- Seizure case outcomes
Penalty Defense and Import Compliance
A penalty notice, a bill for liquidated damages, or a request for information can expose an importer to demands many times the value of the goods. How you respond — and whether a prior disclosure is still available — often matters more than the underlying error. We defend the claim and pursue mitigation, protests, and settlement.
- 1592 fraud & negligence
- Prior disclosure
- Liquidated damages
- Offer in compromise
- Protests & appeals
- Failure to declare (1497)
Tariff Strategy and Trade Compliance
Section 301, Section 232, and executive-branch tariffs have reshaped the cost of importing almost overnight. Sound classification, valuation, and country-of-origin decisions can lawfully lower duty exposure, while protests and refund claims can recover duties already paid. We help importers plan ahead and challenge assessments after the fact.
- Tariff strategy
- Section 301 China tariffs
- IEEPA tariff refunds
- AD/CVD & scope rulings
- Valuation & classification
- Binding ruling requests
A Customs and Trade Lawyer, Not a Generalist
Jason Wapiennik
Jason Wapiennik has spent more than fifteen years focused on customs and trade law — not as one practice area among many, but as the whole of his work. That focus is why customs brokers, freight forwarders, and other attorneys refer their most difficult CBP matters to the firm. He handles currency seizures, import penalties, and tariff disputes directly, from the first notice through petitions, protests, and settlement, and has developed working relationships with the Fines, Penalties & Forfeitures officers at ports nationwide who actually decide these cases.
- Admitted in Michigan & Illinois
- 15+ years in customs law
- 700+ cases handled
- Practices before CBP nationwide
Clients on Every Side of the Border
Importers
Businesses facing penalties, liquidated damages, detained shipments, classification disputes, or tariff exposure on goods entering the U.S.
Travelers
Individuals whose cash was seized at an airport or land border for a currency reporting violation, facing tight response deadlines.
Exporters
Companies navigating outbound reporting, export controls, and enforcement around money and merchandise leaving the country.
Brokers & Forwarders
Licensed brokers and freight forwarders who refer clients or need counsel on broker penalties and compliance questions.
Online Sellers
E-commerce importers dealing with seizures of alleged counterfeits, de minimis changes, and marking issues.
Referral Counsel
Attorneys outside the customs field who bring in specialized help when a matter turns on CBP law and procedure.
Handled at Ports Across the Country
Customs law is federal, so a seizure in one state can be handled by counsel admitted in another. We appear in matters at airports and land borders nationwide — from Detroit and Chicago to Dulles, Dallas–Fort Worth, Laredo, San Diego, and beyond. See where we work on our areas served page, and review the outcomes we have obtained in currency cases and penalty and liquidated-damages matters.
Customs and Trade Law FAQ
Do I need a customs lawyer, or can my customs broker handle it?
A customs broker can file entries and help with routine compliance, but a broker is not a lawyer and cannot represent you in a penalty case, a seizure, or a protest the way an attorney can. Once CBP has issued a notice of seizure, penalty, or liquidated damages, the matter is a legal dispute with deadlines and consequences, and a customs attorney is the appropriate advisor.
Is a customs attorney the same as an immigration or border attorney?
No. Customs and trade law concerns goods, money, and merchandise crossing the border and the duties and penalties that attach to them — not visas, immigration status, or criminal defense. This firm works exclusively in customs and trade matters before CBP.
CBP seized my cash at the airport. What should I do first?
Say as little as possible to CBP, do not sign anything you do not understand, and speak with a customs attorney before responding. The notice you receive will offer several options, and the first choice you make can affect the rest of the case. Our overview of currency seizures and the election of proceedings explains the stakes.
Does the firm handle cases outside Michigan and Illinois?
Yes. Customs law is federal, and we handle matters at ports throughout the country. Attorney Jason Wapiennik is admitted in Michigan and Illinois and appears in CBP matters nationwide.
I received a bill or penalty notice from CBP. Is it too late to fix it?
Often not — but timing matters. Depending on the type of notice, you may be able to file a petition, a protest, an offer in compromise, or, in some import situations, a prior disclosure that meaningfully reduces exposure. Because each of these has a deadline, the sooner you have the notice reviewed, the more options remain open.
Facing a Seizure, Penalty, or Tariff Problem?
Talk to a customs attorney about your options. The case review is free, and there is usually a deadline running — the sooner you call, the more we can do.