Florida Man Arrested for Selling an Estimated $1 Billion of Fake Cisco Products on Amazon, eBay

A federal grand jury has indicted a Florida man for selling counterfeit Cisco products on Amazon and eBay with an estimated retail value of over $1 billion.

According to the indictment, Onur Aksoy, aka Ron Aksoy, aka Dave Durden, 38, of Miami, allegedly ran at least 19 companies that imported tens of thousands of fraudulent and counterfeit Cisco networking devices from China and Hong Kong.

His businesses allegedly used at least 15 Amazon storefronts, a minimum of 10 eBay Stores, and multiple other entities the government broadly calls the “Pro Network Entities” in the indictment generating over $100 million in revenue and millions in profits for Aksoy.

Most of the equipment sold through the Pro Network Entities were older, lower-model products, which had been sold or discarded.

The Justice Department explained that Chinese counterfeiters modified the units to make them appear to be genuine versions of new, enhanced, and more expensive Cisco devices.

Then 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.

Finally, to make the devices appear new, genuine, high-quality, and factory-sealed by Cisco, the Chinese counterfeiters allegedly added counterfeited Cisco labels, stickers, boxes, documentation, packaging, and other materials.

The fraudulent and counterfeit products sold by the Pro Network Entities suffered from numerous performance, functionality, and safety problems.

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.

Customers of Aksoy’s fraudulent and counterfeit devices included hospitals, schools, government agencies, and the military.

It is believed the operation started sometime in 2013 under the name of Pro Network LLC but Aksoy registered at least 18 other companies in New Jersey and Florida.

Cisco and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency apparently became aware of Aksoy‘s operation in 2014.

According to the indictment, between 2014 and 2019, Cisco sent seven letters to Aksoy asking him to cease and desist his trafficking of counterfeit goods. As alleged, he responded to at least two of these letters by causing his attorney to provide Cisco with forged documents.

During the same time period, CBP seized approximately 180 shipments of counterfeit Cisco devices destined to the Pro Networks Entities from China and Hong Kong.

To avoid CBP seizures, Aksoy’s Chinese co-conspirators allegedly broke the shipments into smaller parcels, shipping them on different days, and to multiple delivery addresses.

Ultimately, in July 2021, agents caught up with the scheme and executed a search warrant at Aksoy’s warehouse seizing 1,156 counterfeit Cisco devices with a retail value of over $7 million.

On June 29, Aksoy was charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and to commit mail and wire fraud; three counts of mail fraud; four counts of wire fraud; and three counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods. He was arrested in Miami the same day.

eBay and Amazon Storefronts Allegedly Used to Sell Fake Cisco Products

The Justice Department provided a full list of known Pro Networks Entities that Aksoy allegedly used in this massive operation to sell the fake Cisco products.

eBay Shops

• connectwus
• futuretechneeds
• getbettertrade
• getontrade
• maytechtradingllc
• netechsolutions
• netkco
• nfdtrading
• smartnetworkusa
• Tenektradingllc

Amazon Stores

• Albus Trade Hub
• EasyNetworkUS
• Get Better Trade
• Mercadeal
• Netech Solutions
• Netkco LLC
• NFD Trading LLC
• Palm Network Solutions
• Renewed Equip
• Servtaur
• Smart Network
• SOS Tech Trade
• Target-Solutions
• TeamTech Global
• TradeOrigin US

For more information on this case or for anyone that believes they may have been a victim of Aksoy or one of the Pro Network Entities, visit www.justice.gov/largecases or https://edit.justice.gov/usao-nj/united-states-v-onur-aksoy-pro-network. The full indictment is available here.

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