New York Paralegal Blog

WASHINGTON — A Virginia woman was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for leading a sophisticated conspiracy to import and to sell counterfeit Cisco-branded computer networking equipment, laundering criminal proceeds and obtaining her citizenship through fraud. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

KANSAS CITY, KS—A Leawood, Kansas man has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for selling $1 million worth of counterfeit Cisco computer equipment, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. Christopher Myers, 42, Leawood, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to bring goods into the United States by false statements, to smuggle goods into the United States, and to traffic in counterfeit goods. In his plea, Myers admitted he conspired with co-defendant Timothy Weatherly of Overland Park, Kan. They operated a business called Deals Direct, Inc., from a warehouse in Merriam, Kansas. Beginning in 2005 and continuing through Nov. 14, 2006, Myers and Weatherly imported computer equipment from China. They put counterfeit Cisco labels on the equipment and placed the counterfeit goods in Cisco boxes with counterfeit Cisco manuals. The counterfeit equipment was sold on Deal Direct’s website and on eBay as genuine Cisco equipment. They obtained access to Cisco’s confidentia...

WASHINGTON – Chun-Yu Zhao, of Centreville, Va., and Donald H. Cone, of Frederick, Md., were convicted by a federal jury in Alexandria, Va., for their roles in a sophisticated scheme to import and sell counterfeit Cisco-branded computer networking equipment, announced U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.   In addition to the conspiracy conviction, Zhao was convicted of 15 additional counts, including importation fraud, trafficking in counterfeit goods and labels, false statements to law enforcement, false statements in naturalization and money laundering.   She was acquitted on one count of false statements and one count of money laundering.   The jury reached its verdict on May 24, 2011, after a 12-day trial and nearly four days of deliberations.   Today, the jury returned a verdict regarding the forfeiture of numerous assets...

Indictments Charge 28 Individuals with Counterfeit Check Fraud    Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of 28 individuals in connection with “Operation White Rover,” a forged check and identity theft ring based in Brooklyn that compromised bank accounts at TD Bank, JP Morgan Chase Bank and Citibank locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Charges in the indictment include Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Identity Theft in the First Degree, Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. The crimes charged in the indictment total 99 counts in two separate conspiracies: 88 counts arising from the conspiracy against TD Bank, which occurred between August 2009 and April 2010, and 10 counts from the conspiracy against JP Morgan Chase Bank, which occurred b...

Pittsburgh operation nets $100,000 in fake trademarked NHL, NFL items in international mail PITTSBURGH - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced the results thus far of a month-long enforcement initiative specifically targeting counterfeit NHL Winter Classic-related sportswear coming into the Pittsburgh area. Working with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), ICE agents have seized 792 items of counterfeit National Hockey League sportswear, National Football League jerseys and other counterfeit merchandise, estimated to be worth $100,000 as Pittsburgh prepares to host the NHL Winter Classic. Fake trademarked NHL, NFL items intercepted in international mail by U.S. ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) The jerseys, hats, T-shirts and other souvenirs were confiscated by agents in the last month as they came into Pittsburgh throu...