Cindy DeLeon

Founder & Managing Director
Former CBP Auditor & Assistant Field Director

cindy@deleontrade.com

+1 (281) 466-2026 (Office)

Houston, TX

Cindy is founder and Managing Director of Deleon Trade LLC.  Cindy utilizes her audit experience to assist clients in strengthening internal control program to ensure U.S. Customs compliance and passing of focused assessments and customs audits.  She works with clients to identify risks in import operations and develop compliance manuals and procedures.  Cindy has prepared prior disclosure documentation and statistical samples using the same EZ-Quant software used by U.S. Customs, prepared transaction value reconciliations covering multiple types of value adjustments, prepared cost submissions and computed value reconciliations, and conducted comprehensive special trade program reviews in response to U.S. Customs inquiries.  Her technical expertise of the U.S. Customs audit process has helped clients achieve favorable audit results.

Before forming Deleon Trade Cindy served as a Senior Auditor and Assistant Field Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Regulatory Audit Division in Chicago for 12 years.  While working at U.S. Customs she conducted and supervised multiple focused assessment audits, quick response audits, fraud investigations, free trade agreement reviews, drawback audits, NAFTA audits, and prior disclosure reviews of Fortune 500 and midsize companies.  In addition, she designed and led the mentoring and recruiting programs for the Chicago field office and conducted advanced training sessions on technical audit issues and special trade program audits.

In addition, she has successfully completed multiple advanced Customs training courses including: Advanced Focused Assessments, Advanced Value, Quick Response Audits, Evaluating Internal Controls (a COSO/SOX based approach), Management Leadership, Advanced Fraud, and Advanced Statistical Sampling.  

Education

  • B.S., Accounting, DePaul University, 1994 with High Honors

 

Languages

  • Spanish

Awards & Honors

  • U.S. Customs Commissioner's Award
  • National Audit Planning Award
  • Automated Audit Documentation Award
  • Various Audit-Specific Awards

Professional Memberships

  • Houston Customhouse Brokers & Freight Forwarders (HCBFFA)
  • National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association (NCBFAA)
  • Foreign Trade Association (FTA)
  • American Association of Exporters & Importers (AAEI)

Speaking Engagements

2025

“Navigating Regulations and Compliance under the New Administration” TrusTrace Webinar with Apurva Bhargava, Head of Sales US, TrusTrace and Angela M. Santos, Partner, Customs Practice Group Leader and Fashion & Retail Co-Chair, ArentFox Schiff, February 2025

"Tariffs are Shifting, are you Ready?" AAEI Webinar with Tom Gould, Chief Strategy & Compliance Officer, Gaia Dynamics and Heidi Woods, Senior Global Trade Director, Medtronic, February 2025

"Advanced USMCA Workshop" ATCC Conference, February 2025

"Artifical Intelligence for Trade Compliance: Believers vs. Skeptics Debate" ATCC Conference with Todd Smoth, Founder, KYG Trade, February 2025

"North American Trade War: The Impact of Tariffs, Retaliation, and the 30-Day Extensions" ATCC Conference with Adrienne Braumiller, Managing Partner, Braumiller Law Group, Kim Campbell, President, mkmarin trade services, and Miriam Name, Partner, Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton LLP, February 2025

2024

“Top 5 Customs and Trade issues to watch in 2025 - AI and its effect on the industry, Trade Enforcement, CBP inquiries, Near Shoring Forced Labor” Global Supply Chain Leaders Conference with Jay Acayan, Partner, Roberts & Kehagiaras LLP and Lori Mullins, Director of Operations, Rogers & Brown Customs Brokers, November 2024

“Advanced Forced Labor Workshop Part 2: Establishing a FL Compliance Program” DT Webinar with Vicky Wu, Partner, Braumiller Law Group and Lori Mullins, Director of Operations, Rogers & Brown Customs Brokers, October 2024

“Advanced Forced Labor Workshop Part 1: Responding to a UFLPA Detention” DT Webinar with Vicky Wu, Partner, Braumiller Law Group and Lori Mullins, Director of Operations, Rogers & Brown Customs Brokers, October 2024

“International Trade Compliance for Energy Services & International Trade Panel” Energy Workforce & Technology Council Conference with Jay Acayan, Partner, Roberts & Kehagiaras LLP and Rasul Dzhanibekov, Sanctions & Trade Compliance Attorney, NOV, September 2024

“Demystifying Forced Labor Technology” Deleon Trade Webinar with Guillermo Deleon, Chief Financial Officer, Deleon Trade LLC, June 2024

“Top 5 Tips from a Former Customs Auditor’s Perspective” Social Responsibility Alliance (SRA), May 2024

“Broker Forced Labor Requirements & Best Practices” Deleon Trade Webinar with Kristina Carter, Sr. Broker & Trade Compliance Specialist, Deleon Trade LLC, May 2024

“Customs & UFLPA Use Case Examples”, Sayari Annual Meeting, January 2024 

Prior Years

"Update on CBP UFLPA Enforcement and Advanced Compliance Strategies", Southern Border Conference, September 2023

"Advanced Value - Come Test your Knowledge and Learn", ATCC Conference, February 2023

"Prior Disclosures: Lessons, Case Studies, and Important Tips to Consider" ATCC Conference with George Tuttle III, Tuttle Law Offices, September 2021

"How to Prepare for a RASA, a Focused Assessment & Other CBP Audits from the Perspective of a Former CBP Auditor & Audit Supervisor", Los Angeles Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association, April 2021

"USMCA - United States Mexico Canada Free Trade Agreement", Chicago Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association, August 2020

"What Brokers Need to Know About the USMCA", Los Angeles Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association, August 2020

"How CBP Audits Value" ATCC Conference with Kristin Simonson, Director of Audit Services, Deleon Trade LLC, February 2020

"Trade Law Forum" ATCC Conference with George Tuttle III, Tuttle Law, Adrienne Braumiller, Braumiller Law Group, Barbara Broussard, Sidley Austin, and Jay Acayan, Givens & Johnston, February 2020

"New CBP Audit Types Including Forced Labor Audits" ATCC Conference with Jay Acayan, Givens & Johnston and Kartapurkh Khalsa, National Oilwell Varco, February 2020

"Trade Compliance Consulting", Women In Trade Podcast, August 2019

"First Sale for Export: Assess, Test, Monitor and Achieve" ATCC Conference with Tony Saranchak, Deleon Trade LLC, February 2019

"Customs Audit Update: Lessons from the Audit Trenches" ATCC Conference with Kristin Simonson, Director of Audit Services, Deleon Trade LLC, and John Metrich, Director of Audit Services, Deleon Trade LLC, Houston, February, 2019

Session: "Intersection of Reasonable Care and Preventive Compliance in Customs Law", Georgetown Law International Trade Update, March 2018

"Preparing for CBP Audits & Audit Surveys", ATCC Conference, Houston, September 2017

"Free Trade Agreements & HTS Chapter 98", ATCC Conference, Houston, September 2017

"Regulatory Audit, Informed Compliance Letter and ISA Benefits" American Petroleum Institute International Trade and Customs Conference, March 2017

"Internal Controls", Import Compliance Boot Camp Series, Law Offices of George R. Tuttle, August 2016

"Valuation", Import Compliance Boot Camp Series, Law Offices of George R. Tuttle, July 2016

"Developments in U.S. Customs Audits: Import Compliance Manuals, Components of Internal Controls, Risk Assessments & Post-Entry Audits", ATCC Conference, February 2016

"What's in a Name? CBP's New 'Audit Survey Program" with George Tuttle, Law Offices of George R. Tuttle, May 2015

"Post-Entry Audit Sytems", ICPA Conference, September 2014

"NAFTA Rules of Origin & Certificates of Origin" US-Mexico Customs Compliance Conference with Scott Johnston, Givens & Johston PLLC, February 2014

"US Customs Valuation & Reconciliation" US-Mexico Customs Compliance Conference with John Metrich, Director of Audit Services, Deleon Trade LLC, February 2014

"Dealing with US-Mexico Customs" US-Mexico Customs Compliance Conference with Jay Acayan, Givens & Johnston, PLLC, and Miriam Name, Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton LLP, February 2014

"ISA Panel" ICPA Conference, September 2013

"NAFTA Verification" Laredo Brokers Association Seminar, April 2013

"What's New in the CBP Audit World?" Texas Brokers and Forwarders Conference, September 2012

"U.S. Customs Risk Assessment and Risk Management", Texas Brokers and Forwarders Conference, September 2011

"U.S. Customs Reconciliation", Houston Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, February 2010

"U.S. Customs Audits", Texas Brokers and Forwarders Conference, September 2009

"U.S. Customs Focused Assessments", Journal of Commerce Live Webcast, September 2009

"U.S. Customs Focused Assessments", Houston Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, July 2009



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