The billion-dollar fraud of state organizations ended with a real prison term.
Almost a year after our last publication about an enterprising American fraudster who sold counterfeit Cisco network devices on an astronomical scale, the story finally received a loud continuation.
Onur Aksoy, the head of a group of companies that manage several online stores, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for selling fake Cisco network equipment. The devices were sold to government, medical, educational, and military organizations around the world.
A 40-year-old Florida man was arrested on June 29, 2022 in Miami and charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods and fraud. Aksoy pleaded guilty only in June 2023, confirming that he managed the fraudulent operation through 19 companies and 25 online stores on the eBay and Amazon platforms under the general name "Pro Network Entities".
Aksoy imported tens of thousands of fake low-quality devices from Hong Kong and China, which were sold at 98% below Cisco's recommended retail price. The devices were provided with fake labels, labels, boxes, documentation and packaging with Cisco logos, which created the appearance of new, original and high-quality products.
However, the equipment was still fake, so it often failed, causing serious disruptions to customer networks, including hospitals, schools,government agencies, and even the US military.
From 2014 to 2022, US Customs authorities intercepted 180 shipments of fake Cisco devices sent to Pro Network Entities. To get rid of the attention of the authorities, Aksoy constantly used fake names for processing documents, as well as completely different addresses to which counterfeit goods were issued.
According to estimates by the US Department of Justice, the retail value of goods sold by Axoy for all time amounted to more than a billion dollars, and the net income of Pro Networks Entities exceeded $ 100 million.
During the investigation, it was established that Aksoy received seven letters from Cisco demanding to stop illegal activities, to which he responded by providing forged documents through his lawyer.
In July 2021, a search was conducted at the Aksoy warehouse, as a result of which 1,156 fake Cisco devices worth more than $7 million were seized.
Under the terms of the plea deal, Aksoy is required, in addition to serving a prison sentence, to pay Cisco compensation in the amount of $100 million and allow the destruction of all counterfeit products worth millions of dollars.
Almost a year after our last publication about an enterprising American fraudster who sold counterfeit Cisco network devices on an astronomical scale, the story finally received a loud continuation.
Onur Aksoy, the head of a group of companies that manage several online stores, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for selling fake Cisco network equipment. The devices were sold to government, medical, educational, and military organizations around the world.
A 40-year-old Florida man was arrested on June 29, 2022 in Miami and charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods and fraud. Aksoy pleaded guilty only in June 2023, confirming that he managed the fraudulent operation through 19 companies and 25 online stores on the eBay and Amazon platforms under the general name "Pro Network Entities".
Aksoy imported tens of thousands of fake low-quality devices from Hong Kong and China, which were sold at 98% below Cisco's recommended retail price. The devices were provided with fake labels, labels, boxes, documentation and packaging with Cisco logos, which created the appearance of new, original and high-quality products.
However, the equipment was still fake, so it often failed, causing serious disruptions to customer networks, including hospitals, schools,government agencies, and even the US military.
From 2014 to 2022, US Customs authorities intercepted 180 shipments of fake Cisco devices sent to Pro Network Entities. To get rid of the attention of the authorities, Aksoy constantly used fake names for processing documents, as well as completely different addresses to which counterfeit goods were issued.
According to estimates by the US Department of Justice, the retail value of goods sold by Axoy for all time amounted to more than a billion dollars, and the net income of Pro Networks Entities exceeded $ 100 million.
During the investigation, it was established that Aksoy received seven letters from Cisco demanding to stop illegal activities, to which he responded by providing forged documents through his lawyer.
In July 2021, a search was conducted at the Aksoy warehouse, as a result of which 1,156 fake Cisco devices worth more than $7 million were seized.
Under the terms of the plea deal, Aksoy is required, in addition to serving a prison sentence, to pay Cisco compensation in the amount of $100 million and allow the destruction of all counterfeit products worth millions of dollars.
