Charges filed against jewelry importers who allegedly smuggled gold into the U.S.

Theft/Property — Chicago, IL — reported 2026-07-14

SUMMARY

A pair of jewelry importers were charged with smuggling large amounts of gold into the U.S. by falsely declaring its country of origin.

KEY FACTS

• Incident type: Theft/Property
• Location: Chicago, IL
• Date reported: 2026-07-14
• Suspect: not stated
• Status: arrest/charge

REPORTED DETAILS

• Raj Kohli and Veena Kohli, who operate a gold jewelry importing and wholesale company in California, were charged with smuggling gold into the U.S.
• They allegedly imported 560 separate entries of gold jewelry between 2020 and 2024, falsely declaring it as having been manufactured in Singapore instead of its true countries of origin in India and United Arab Emirates.
• The charges filed against them helped propel a new federal task force past the $1 billion threshold for recoveries and penalties over the past year.