CEO Arrested for Selling $1 Billion in Fake Cisco Hardware on Amazon, eBay

pcmag.com:

A Miami-based CEO has been arrested for allegedly importing $1 billion worth of counterfeit Cisco equipment from China and then selling it on Amazon and eBay.

The Justice Department announced(Opens in a new window) today that it had indicted 38-year-old Onur “Ron” Aksoy for selling the counterfeit Cisco gear via numerous online storefronts. 

Allegedly, Aksoy imported tens of thousands of fraudulent Cisco devices from China and Hong Kong. He then created at least 19 companies in New Jersey and Florida, dubbed the “Pro Network,” to help him resell the hardware as genuine through the e-commerce sites. 

“The operation allegedly generated over $100 million in revenue, and Aksoy received millions of dollars for his personal gain,” the Justice Department said. 

The Cisco equipment Aksoy allegedly sold was usually older, lower-end models that were previously bought or discarded. Counterfeiters in China then modified the equipment, making the devices appear as if they were newer or more expensive Cisco product models. 

“As alleged, the Chinese counterfeiters often added pirated Cisco software and unauthorized, low-quality, or unreliable components—including components to circumvent technological measures added by Cisco to the software to check for software license compliance and to authenticate the hardware,” the Justice Department said. In addition, the counterfeit products were packaged with authentic-looking labels, boxes, and documentation. 

However, customers who bought the equipment would later realize the products were defective. “Often, they would simply fail or otherwise malfunction, causing significant damage to their users’ networks and operations—in some cases, costing users tens of thousands of dollars,” the Justice