Latest accused in bogus military equipment plan gets 2 years

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PROVIDENCE, RI (AP) — The third and final defendant in an illegal scheme to supply the U.S. military with $20 million worth of substandard Chinese-made counterfeit clothing and equipment has been sentenced to two years in prison , said federal prosecutors.

According to the US Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island.

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Many counterfeit items, which were presented as made in the United States and failed to meet safety specifications, were eventually worn or carried by Air Force personnel, prosecutors said.

They included more than 13,000 counterfeit jackets that were supposed to be made of a fabric that was difficult to detect with night-vision goggles, but weren’t. Some gear that was supposed to be fireproof was not.

For his efforts, Roe was paid approximately $60,000 by the scheme leader, prosecutors said.

United States law requires that uniforms and equipment sold to the Department of Defense be produced in the United States or certain other designated countries. China is not one of them.

No evidence has been presented to indicate that any harm was done to US military personnel from the counterfeit garments.

Roe, who was also sentenced to three years probation on Thursday, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and trafficking in counterfeit goods. Refund will be determined later.

The leader of the conspiracy, Ramin Kohanbash, 52, of New York, was sentenced this month to more than three years in prison. Another man, Bernard Klein, 41, of New York, was sentenced in April 2021 to 18 months behind bars.