SANTA ANA, California
A Laguna Hills man has been arrested on federal charges alleging he oversaw a scheme that smuggled counterfeit Apple and Samsung cell phone components from China that were sold in the United States, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue.
Chan Hung Le, 44, was arrested Tuesday afternoon pursuant to a criminal complaint that charges him with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, conspiracy to illegally import merchandise, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Le is expected to make his initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, Le and his wife own EZ Elektronix, a company now based in Irvine that imported counterfeit electronics products – screens and other cell phone parts – from China into the United States.
The complaint alleges that Le attempted to conceal the scheme by using multiple business names and addresses, as well as “virtual offices” and post office boxes, in at least three U.S. states.
Between January 2012 and December 2018, EZ Elektronix paid more than $72 million to three companies who conspired with Le to traffic counterfeit goods from Hong Kong and China into the United States, according to the affidavit.
If convicted of all charges, Le faces a statutory maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison on the conspiracy charges, plus a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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