Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Importing & Selling Counterfeit IC's

According to justice.gov, Peter Picone of Methuen, Massachusetts pleaded guilty to importing thousands of counterfeit integrated circuits from China and Hong Kong and reselling them to U.S. Customers. 

After searching Picone's business and residence, federal agents recovered 12,960 counterfeit ICs.

The court filings state, from 2007 through 2012, Picone and his suppliers in China and Hong Kong conspired to sell counterfeit integrated circuits marked with manufacturer marks including Motorola, Xilinx, and National Semiconductor. "Picone sold counterfeit ICs to contractors knowing that they would be supplied to the United States Navy for use in nuclear submarines." When parts were tested by the U.S. Navy and one of it's contractors, resurfacing to change the date code and to affix counterfeit marks was revealed.

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