Miami-based tech CEO sentenced to prison for six years for selling counterfeit Cisco products

Onur Aksoy also known as Ron Aksoy and Dave Durden has been sentenced to prison for more than six years for running a large-scale operation selling fake Cisco equipment. Aksoy is a Miami-based tech CEO of 19 companies.

June 2023, Aksoy pleaded guilty to the charges which included conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud. From 2013 to 2022 he operated through 19 companies and online storefronts to resold counterfeit Cisco products with an estimated retail value exceeding $1 billion.

Collectively, the 19 companies are known as Pro Network Entities that sold the fake networking products on Amazon and eBay.

As part of the plea agreement, Aksoy is required to pay $100 million in restitution to Cisco and other victims.

The counterfeit equipment infiltrated critical infrastructure, compromising both private and public sectors. This included sensitive U.S. government systems used by the Navy, Air Force, and Army. The fake parts jeopardized operations for fighter jets, bombers, helicopters, and maritime patrol aircraft.

Furthermore, schools and hospitals were also unknowingly affected by the shoddy equipment, which often malfunctioned or failed entirely after installation.

The U.S. authorities and Cisco spotted the fraudulent activity of Aksoy in 2014. The counterfeit shipments were seized and he was ordered to cease operations. But he continued the scheme with the help of Chinese suppliers. These suppliers would modify used or discarded Cisco products to appear legitimate and install pirated software.