The U.S. government, including the Pentagon, and others were duped into spending more than $20 million in counterfeit gear made in China that put troops' safety at risk.
According to Military Times, the Air Force purchased 200 parkas that were supposedly made of a fabric that was invisible to night-vision goggles, a claim that turned out to be false. The military also bought counterfeit hoods that were not flame-resistant, despite claiming otherwise.
At the center of the scheme was a New York man who worked with others to have a Chinese factory produce counterfeit products that carried falsified labels. The items were then sold to wholesalers, who sold them to government and military clients.
Ramin Kohanbash, 49, was arrested and charged in the scheme. As part of the investigation, officials from the Department of Justice seized in excess of 1,700 boxes of counterfeit ponchos, gloves, and fleece jackets.
"Under two U.S. laws known as The Berry Amendment and the Trade Agreements Act ('TAA'), goods sold to the military and certain other government buyers are required to be manufactured in the United States and certain other designated countries; China is not one of those countries," according to a DOJ press release.
"In order to sell the counterfeit goods, it is alleged that Kohanbash provided wholesalers who did business with the government with false certification letters claiming that the goods were made in the U.S., and therefore complied with Berry Amendment. In other instances, it is alleged that Kohanbash falsely represented that the goods met TAA requirements."
In 2011, it was reported that counterfeit Chinese electronics were being unknowingly installed in U.S. military weapons systems.
China and the U.S. are locked in a trade war as the Trump administration tries to even the global playing field of commerce between countries.
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