PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A New York City man who masterminded a scheme that sold $20 million in substandard Chinese-made counterfeit clothing and equipment to the U.S. military, who could endanger active duty service members, has been sentenced to more than three years in prison, federal prosecutors said.
Ramin Kohanbash, 52, was one of three people who played a role in the scam in which samples of genuine military clothing, including labels displaying trademarks of 15 companies that make products for the US military, were provided to manufacturers. in China, according to a statement from the federal prosecutor’s office in Providence.
Chinese manufacturers counterfeited the clothing, which was shipped to Kohanbash for distribution to suppliers who sold it to the US government as made in the United States, authorities said. US law requires that uniforms and equipment sold to the Department of Defense be manufactured in the United States or certain other designated countries. China is not among them.
“American servicemen and women put their lives on the line every day in defense of the nation,” said Rhode Island US Attorney Zachary Cunha. “But the risks they face should never come from the uniforms they wear and the equipment they carry. In this case, the defendants’ actions did just that, substituting substandard foreign-made knockoffs for American products.”
Some equipment lacked crucial security features or did not meet security specifications, prosecutors said. That included more than 13,000 counterfeit jackets that were supposed to be made of a fabric that made them hard to spot with night vision goggles but weren’t; and more than 18,000 hoods falsely labeled fire-resistant, authorities said.
“Supplying counterfeit products to the Department of Defense endangers the lives of U.S. service members and betrays the public trust,” said Patrick J. Hegarty, special agent in charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Defending.
Kohanbash pleaded guilty in 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and trafficking in counterfeit goods.
Kohanbash, of Brooklyn, in addition to a prison term of three years and four months, was also ordered in US District Court in Providence on Wednesday to pay restitution to American businesses, including a Rhode Island company. Island which reported a loss of more than $639,000 in earnings
Two other men involved in the scheme have also pleaded guilty. Bernard Klein, 41, of Brooklyn, was sentenced in April 2021 to 18 months in prison. Terry Roe, 49, of Burlington, North Dakota, pleaded guilty in February and faces sentencing this month.
Source: apnews.com