U.S. Attorney Opens Probe of L.A. Gear : Retailing: The trendy shoe company is suspected of underpaying customs duties.

L.A. Gear, a fast-growing marketer of trendy athletic shoes, clothing and watches, is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts for allegedly underpaying customs duties on several shipments of shoes from Taiwan, the Marina del Rey company said Wednesday.

The investigation apparently centers on an independent agent that imported shoes from Taiwan for L.A. Gear about three years ago, spokesman Elliot Horowitz said. The company has since opened its own office in Taiwan.

L.A. Gear contracts with foreign manufacturers to make its shoes, which are popular with young adults and the school-age set.

L.A. Gear said it has conducted an internal investigation and “believes it has fully complied with its obligations to pay customs duties.” The U.S. attorney’s investigation could lead to an indictment, a civil case for underpayment of duties or no action at all.

No officials of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts could be reached for comment.

L.A. Gear’s lawyers have advised the company that if the company were prosecuted and found guilty, even the maximum penalty “would not have a materially adverse effect on the company’s financial statements or its continuing operations,” the company said in a statement.

At most, the company could be required to pay “in the $1-million range,” according to a source close to the investigation.

L.A. Gear’s stock fell $2 to close at $42.50 per share on the New York Stock Exchange.

For the most recent quarter, which included strong back-to-school sales, L.A. Gear recorded profit of $22 million on sales of $215 million, compared to income of $8.7 million and sales of $76.1 million in the same period last year.