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07.08.2025
Body Armor Company Owner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
CLEVELAND – Vall Iliev, 70, of Stow, Ohio, has been sentenced to 63 months (5.25 years) in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent after he pleaded guilty in March to smuggling foreign-made body armor and then selling it to law enforcement agencies and other members of the public as legitimate, domestically-made certified products. Iliev was additionally ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. Judge Nugent also ordered him to pay approximately $5.2 million in restitution.
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03.21.2025
Stow businessman pleads guilty to selling smuggled knock-off body armor from China
Vall Iliev must pay back $32.4 million for selling bogus body armor to the Akron Police Department to outfit its SWAT officers. He will be sentenced July 8.
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02.26.2025
CLEVELAND – Vall Iliev, 69, of Stow, Ohio, has been charged in a three-count information with smuggling foreign-made body armor and then selling it to law enforcement agencies and others, as legitimate, domestically-made certified products. From around 2017 to October 2023, the defendant allegedly imported body armor from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and sold it under claims of being made in the United States and bearing a falsified trademarked label. Body armor is commonly used by those in law enforcement and other agencies for protection from ballistic threats to the torso area.
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02.25.2025
WASHINGTON – The Motion Picture Association today announced it will honor Jon M. Chu, director of “Wicked” and the upcoming “Wicked: For Good,” with its 2025 MPA Creator Award.
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02.05.2025
$39.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise seized ahead of Super Bowl LIX
New Orleans– In a joint press conference with the National Football League (NFL), the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), led by Director Ivan J. Arvelo, announced the seizure of $39.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise through Operation Team Player. This year-long, collaborative initiative between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and major sports leagues aims to prevent counterfeit sports-related merchandise and apparel from reaching fans ahead of high-profile sporting events.
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02.04.2025
‘Taking Advantage of That Trusted Brand’: Counterfeit auto parts pose serious risks to drivers
WASHINGTON --The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center’s (IPR Center) consumer-based automotive safety campaign launched last fall continues to resonate across the country as broadcasters and print media continue to share details of the campaign. "Put the Brakes on Fakes” is intended to inform consumers about the life-threatening hazards of counterfeit automotive parts that can lead to catastrophic injuries or fatalities in the event of a crash.
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01.03.2025
New USAO Task Force to Target Government Contract Fraud
CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is spearheading a new, interagency Supply Chain Oversight and Procurement Enforcement (SCOPE) Task Force, created in 2024, to ensure supply chain integrity and prevent procurement fraud. The task force will serve to support the work of the Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit (GSCIU), led by the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), based in Washington, D.C.
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12.12.2024
IPR Center, IP House Announce New Partnership
WASHINGTON– The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and IP House have announced a new partnership to combat counterfeiting, illicit trade, and digital piracy across critical industry sectors, including consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.
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10.24.2024
Yuksel Senbol, 36, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, violating the Export Control Reform Act, and violating the Arms Export Control Act. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $275,430.90, the proceeds of Senbol’s fraud and money laundering scheme. Senbol entered pleaded guilty on May 7.
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09.23.2024
Automotive Safety Awareness Campaign Warns Consumers About Counterfeit Airbags
WASHINGTON — Vehicle owners and drivers across the country should be on high alert for unsafe and potentially deadly counterfeit auto parts as the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) launches its new campaign, “Put the Brakes on Fakes.”
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09.04.2024
IPR Center Announces New Director
WASHINGTON– Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger has announced that Ivan J. Arvelo has been appointed as the new Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center). The IPR Center, which stands at the forefront of the U.S. government's response to global intellectual property theft and trade law enforcement, collaborates with federal agencies, international law enforcement, academia, and private sector partners.
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07.25.2024
Foreign National Charged for Selling Counterfeit Cancer Drugs
A federal grand jury in Houston has returned a significant indictment against an Indian national accused of trafficking counterfeit oncology pharmaceuticals into the U.S. Charged with one count of conspiracy and four counts of trafficking, the individual faces up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted. This case highlights the ongoing efforts to combat counterfeit drugs and protect patient safety.
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07.18.2024
A California man was sentenced yesterday to three years and six months in prison for a scheme to defraud the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) by selling over $3.5 million worth of fan assemblies to the DLA that were either counterfeit or that he misrepresented were new when in fact they were used or surplus.
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06.27.2024
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted engaging in multiyear schemes to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) by providing military equipment parts that were not authorized under the governing contracts and agreeing with another individual to rig bids for DoD contracts, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
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06.13.2024
Sports Fans Beware: Counterfeit NHL Merchandise on the Rise During 2024 Stanley Cup Final
WASHINGTON— With the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers competing in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and the National Hockey League (NHL) are reminding sports fans to be wary of counterfeit sports-related merchandise and apparel during the championship series. Large sporting events, such as the Stanley Cup Final, are prime targets for increasingly savvy criminals who often set up sophisticated fake websites or e-commerce marketplace storefronts with the sole intent of scamming sports fans.
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