NEW YORK – A New York City man who devised a plan that sold $ 20 million in cheap Chinese-made counterfeit clothing and equipment to the U.S. military, potentially endangering active-duty members, was sentenced to multiple three years in prison, the federal government said the government. prosecutors said.
Ramin Kohanbash, 52, was one of three people who played a role in the scam in which samples of original military clothing were provided, including labels bearing the brands of 15 companies that make products for the US military. ., to manufacturers in China, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’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 a product in the US, authorities said. US law requires that uniforms and equipment sold to the Department of Defense be manufactured in the United States or other designated countries. China is not among them.
“The US military and women are putting their lives in danger every day in defense of the nation,” said Rhode Island US attorney Zachary Cunha. “But the risks they run should never come from the uniforms they wear and the gear they wear. In this case, the actions of the defendants did exactly that, replacing low-quality foreign-made imitations with American products. “
Some equipment lacked critical safety features or did not meet safety specifications, prosecutors said. This included more than 13,000 counterfeit jackets that should have been made with a fabric that made them difficult to spot with night vision goggles, but they weren’t; and more than 18,000 hoods falsely labeled as fire resistant, authorities said.
“The supply of counterfeit products to the Department of Defense endangers the lives of members of the US military and betrays the trust of the public,” said Patrick J. Hegarty, special agent in charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
Kohanbash pleaded guilty in 2019 to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and trafficking in counterfeit goods.
Kohanbash, of Brooklyn, in addition to a three-year and four-month prison sentence, was also sentenced Wednesday by the United States District Court in Providence to compensate American companies, including a Rhode Island company. of $ 639,000 in earnings.
Two other men involved in the plan also pleaded guilty. Bernard Klein, 41, from Brooklyn, was sentenced in April 2021 to 18 months in prison. Terry Roe, 49, of Burlington, North Dakota, pleaded guilty in February and faces conviction this month.
