A Chinese counterfeiter who participated in a scheme to traffic and smuggle counterfeit products mimicking Apple's iPhones and iPads today pled guilty to trafficking and conspiracy charges, according to a press release shared on the website of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Jianhua "Jeff" Li, working through a company called Dream Digitals, conspired with several other individuals to smuggle more than 40,000 fake iPads, iPhones, and accessories into the United States from China from 2009 to 2014. The electronic devices in question included labels and packaging bearing counterfeit Apple trademarks.
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To get the counterfeit products into the country, Li shipped the devices separately from the counterfeit trademarks. Fake devices were sent all over the United States, and proceeds from the sales were funneled into bank accounts in Florida and New Jersey.
Li, who was officially charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and labels and to smuggle goods into the United States and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, received payments totaling more than $1.1 million from U.S. accounts.
Li could be facing several years in prison for his crime. A co-conspirator, Rosario LaMarca, was sentenced to 37 months in prison back in July, while two others Li worked with, Roberto Volpe and Andreina Becerra, are awaiting sentencing.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)What the heck OS did they load these things with?
Probably something like this.GOOD!
Um...about that phones holding charge thing ;) ain't that much different from a genuine iPhone:DI've been burned once before wiht an iPhone 5C and reported it to the cops. ****** left the country left me out $500 for a crappy Android knock off that wouldn't even fully nor hold a charge to be used as a phone that I really needed. Hope he got busted just like these frakers. That was good hard-earned money in some tough times back then. Now I know what to look for when buying on the grey market which I'll stop from doing going forward.
Our justice system is screwed up when a bank robber gets 20+ years for stealing a couple thousand dollars while this guy gets several years for stealing a million+ dollars.
I think robbing a bank for thousands vs scamming people of millions are very different crimes, with the former being a whole lot worse in most cases.A bank robber usually if not always has a gun, creates an atmosphere of fear and panic, threatens people’s lifes, can cause life long suffering for their victims. Scammers like this usually result in a lot of anger and caution amongst those immediately affected and the general public.
Therefore, handing down a harsher penalty to a bank robber seems appropriate.