Askom Ron (Ron Aksoy)

Biography

2022: Arrested on charges of selling $1 billion counterfeit Cisco equipment

On July 11, 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a Florida resident was arrested and charged with importing and selling counterfeit Cisco network equipment, the cost of which, if genuine, would exceed $1 billion.

Ron Aksoy, also known as Dave Durden, ran at least 19 companies formed in New Jersey and Florida between 2010 and 2022, as well as 15 Amazon stores, 10 eBay stores and a host of other organizations to which he allegedly imported tens of thousands of fake Cisco networking devices from China and Hong Kong. He allegedly resold the equipment to careless American and foreign customers after falsely presenting the products as new and genuine with fake Cisco labels, packaging and documentation.

Florida man arrested on charges of selling $1 billion counterfeit Cisco equipment

Aksoyu was charged with one count of conspiracy to trade counterfeit products and commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud and three counts of trafficking counterfeit products, according to the US Department of Justice.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) allegedly seized about 180 shipments of counterfeit Cisco devices that were sent to Pro Network Entities - a shell company run by Aksoy - from China and Hong Kong between 2014 and 2022. According to the Ministry of Justice, Aksoy's scheme brought in more than $100 million in income, a significant part of which remained with Aksoy, and the rest was transferred to his accomplices. A report published by Reuters said Cisco had sent at least seven cease-and-desist letters to Aksoy. The tech giant has not commented on this situation in any way.^[1]

2023: Guilty plea in Cisco fake hardware supply case

On June 6, 2023, the US Department of Justice announced that Florida resident Onur Aksoy pleaded guilty to organizing a large-scale fraudulent scheme to sell fake Cisco network equipment. The total damage is estimated at $1 billion.

According to the case file, 39-year-old Aksoy, also known as Ron Aksoy and Dave Durden, operated at least 19 companies created in New Jersey and Florida, as well as 15 stores on the Amazon site and 10 stores on eBay. All of them were merged into a network called Pro Network Entities, through which tens of thousands of low-quality devices from suppliers from China and Hong Kong were imported to the United States. Such products came with fake labels, packages, and Cisco documentation. The equipment was marked with falsified trademarks registered and owned by Cisco.

Scam of the century: a fraudster sold fake Cisco network devices for $1 billion

It is noted that the devices sold by the fraudster were positioned as genuine and high-quality goods manufactured and approved by Cisco. In fact, these were either old products or restored products that were originally sent for disposal. Often, suppliers added pirated Cisco software and unauthorized, low-quality or unreliable components. Fake equipment was supplied to educational and medical institutions, state organizations, military departments, etc.

Aksoy carried out fraudulent activities from 2013 to 2022. The attacker attracted the attention of the US Customs and Border Protection, which between 2014 and 2022 confiscated 180 consignments of low-quality goods. In accordance with the plea agreement, which the court conditionally accepted before sentencing, Askoy faces a sentence of imprisonment of four years to six years and six months. He must pay compensation in the amount of $15 million and fully compensate for the damage to his victims.^[2]

Notes