"A Chinese firm will pay $91 million over dangerous dehumidifiers it sold in the U.S.", 29 October 2021

A Chinese company that sold millions of faulty dehumidifiers to U.S. customers will pay $91 million for failing to tell regulators that the devices could overheat and could catch fire, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zuhai, China and its Hong Kong subsidiary entered into an agreement to avoid criminal prosecution, the U.S. attorney's office announced. The firms also will provide restitution to victims for fire damage caused by the dehumidifiers.

The agreement was filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

The agreements are "the first corporate criminal enforcement actions ever brought under the Consumer Product Safety Act," according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office. [...]

The chief executive officer and chief administrative officer of Gree USA also face criminal prosecution. They have pleaded not guilty to fraud charges and face trial next March in Los Angeles.