Lakewood companies agree to give up $400K in price-gouge profits

LAKEWOOD — Two import companies have agreed to give up $400,000 in profits and sell at cost 11 million pieces of personal protective equipment that federal officials seized in April as part of a price-gouging investigation.

Federal prosecutors said CSG Imports, which waded into the PPE-import business in March, and its related KG Imports, which appears to have gone into business in April for the first time in order to exploit the pandemic, sold the much-needed critical supplies far and above prevailing market prices.

Both federal and state laws prohibit price gouging during declared emergency. In New Jersey, companies cannot increase the price of goods by more than 10%.

CSG purchased N-95 masks at $3.47 and marked them up by amounts ranging from 78 cents to $2.53 more than cost. They also purchased three-ply disposable face masks for 37 cents and marked them up by amounts ranging from 9 to 28 cents over cost. KG Imports sold the same three-ply masks to hospitals and healthcare providers at markups ranging from 11 to 43 cents, federal officials said.

Win a $100 Eat Clean Bro gift card

KG Imports and CSG Imports warehouse on Oberlin Avenue North in Lakewood. (Google Maps)

CSG was based in warehouses at 1980 and 1965 Swarthmore Ave. and at 155 N. Oberlin Ave., which also was used by KG Imports.

The companies agreed to settle the case by paying back two customers and selling the seized goods at cost.

“The defendants in this case sought to profit illegally from a pandemic just as it was starting to sweep across the country,” U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said in a written statement Friday. “Today’s agreements will ensure that needed personal protective equipment gets into the hands of the people who need it, and at a fair price."