A North Arlington resident is one of three New Jersey men who have admitted their roles in a conspiracy to traffic counterfeit computer-networking devices, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Aug. 24.
Musa Karaman, 35, of North Arlington, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court on Aug. 24, 2023, to an information charging him with one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024.
Sadri Ozturan, 37, of Hawthorne, and Israfil Demir, 38, of Secaucus, each pleaded guilty before Judge Castner on Aug. 9, 2023, to separate informations charging them with one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.
Sentencing for Ozturan is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2023, and sentencing for Demir is scheduled for Dec. 14, 2023.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2017 through May 2021, Karaman, Demir and Ozturan formed and operated numerous entities selling computer-networking equipment, including networking devices manufactured by Cisco Systems Inc., a major U.S. technology conglomerate.
Although the defendants advertised the Cisco products they offered for sale as new and genuine, the products were, instead, counterfeit devices they procured from various overseas suppliers at well below market prices and resold at higher prices.
The offense of trafficking in counterfeit goods carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $2 million.
Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel; and the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
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