| For Immediate Release Case # 11NF0962
March 29, 2011 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
LAW ENFORCEMENT SEEKS FUGITIVE IN SCHEME FOR MANUFACTURING AND SELLING CHINESE COUNTERFEIT RIFLE SIGHTS ONLINE
FULLERTON – Law enforcement is currently seeking the co-owner of an online gun equipment business who is charged with his business partner and an office manager in an Internet scheme selling counterfeit merchandise. During a routine mail inspection in early March 2011, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered the shipment heading to Field Sports Inc., an Anaheim-based company selling gun equipment online.
The case was jointly investigated by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Anaheim Police Department (APD). The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) is prosecuting this case.
Fugitive business owner Yongming Sui, 53, office manager Pao Sheng Yang, 34, both of Corona, and co-owner Isaac Cheuk Hang Tse, 65, Rowland Heights, are each charged with one felony count each of the manufacturing and sale of counterfeit mark and possession of an assault weapon. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison. Tse is being held on $20,000 bail and Yang is out of custody after posting a $20,000 bond. Tse and Yang are scheduled for a continued arraignment April 22, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. in Department N-12 North Justice Center, Fullerton.
An arrest warrant was issued March 25, 2011, for Sui, who is believed to be in China.
Tse, Sui, and Yang, of Field Sports Inc. are each accused of manufacturing and advertising approximately 700 counterfeit EOTech gun sights and 200 magnifier systems for sale online, which have a retail value of approximately $475,000. They are accused of shipping by way of China counterfeit magnifiers and sights that help weapon users aim and fire at targets with greater accuracy and speed. EOTech is a United States-based corporation that has the copyright on manufacturing and selling these weapon components.
Tse and Yang were arrested March 23, 2011, by APD and ICE HSI agents at the Field Sport headquarters. At the time of Tse and Yang’s arrest, two assault rifles and an additional 778 counterfeit EOTech holographic gun sights were discovered inside the business, with an approximate retail value of more than $400,000.
“Anytime you purchase a knock off or pirated product, it’s a virtual certainty the quality and reliability will be inferior to the genuine article. When you’re talking about counterfeit gun sights, the implications are frightening,” said Claude Arnold, Special Agent in Charge for ICE HSI in Los Angeles. “This case serves as a powerful reminder about the public safety risks associated with product counterfeiting and demonstrates yet again why intellectual property enforcement is and will continue to be a top priority for ICE HSI.”