Citizen of China sentenced to 15 months in prison for trafficking in counterfeit computer chips

Hartford, CT–Daofu Zhang, 40, of Shenzen, China, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to 15 months of imprisonment for conspiring to sell counterfeits of sophisticated integrated circuits to a purchaser in the United States.

The announcement was made today by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Zhang and his two co-conspirators each operated businesses in China that bought and sold electronic components, including integrated circuits (“ICs”).  In the summer of 2015, Zhang’s co-conspirator, Xianfeng Zuo asked the other co-conspirator, Jiang Yan, to locate and purchase several advanced ICs made by Xilinx Corp., which had military applications, including radiation tolerance for uses in space.  Yan then asked a U.S. individual to locate the Xilinx ICs and sell them to Yan.  The U.S. individual explained that the ICs cannot be shipped outside the U.S. without an export license, but Yan still wished to make the purchase.  When the U.S. individual expressed concern that the desired ICs would have to be stolen from military inventory, Yan proposed to supply the U.S. source with “fake” ICs that “look the same,” to replace the ones to be stolen from the military.

In November 2015, Zhang shipped from China to the U.S. individual, two packages containing a total of eight counterfeit ICs, each bearing a counterfeit Xilinx brand label.  After further discussions between Yan and the U.S. individual, Yan, Zhang, and Zuo flew together from China to the U.S. in early December 2015 to complete the Xilinx ICs purchase.  On December 10, 2015, the three conspirators drove to a location near Route 95 in Milford, Connecticut, where they planned to meet the U.S. individual, make payment, and take custody of the Xilinx ICs.  Federal agents arrested all three at the meeting location.

Zhang has been detained since his arrest.  On April 15, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.

As part of his sentence, Zhang was ordered to forfeit $63,000.

On March 7, 2016, Yan, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, and one count of attempt to export integrated circuits without the required export license.  On March 16, 2016, Zuo, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.  They await sentencing.

 

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